Salvage My Life
by Vixen1
Summary: A new life for Serena- is it all it's cracked up to be? And is a certain pilot happy with his own life? What happens when their two paths cross? Romance? Hatred? R&R! - Warning: Dark, Language, and Adult Themes FINISHED!
1. All Work and No Play Mentality

Chapter One: All Work and No Play Mentality

Chapter One: All Work and No Play Mentality

* It was five thirty. Five thirty one, he mentally corrected himself as the red digital clock blinked the new minute into the dark room. He was tired. Dead tired. He hadn't slept in over three days. Not that that was a bad thing. He had finished most of his work, and managed to do a little extra in the time as well. And what had the other done? As far as he knew, they had gone out clubbing every night that week. Well, all be damned if Hiiro Yui stopped working to go out and dance.

"Hey, Hiiro man! What's shaking?"He looked up to see his 'best friend' in the doorway of his room. The figure in the door flicked on the bright yellow lights and Hiiro blinked and inwardly groaned as his eyes refocused to adjust to the new invasion in the room. 

"Come on Hiiro! You haven't left your room in three days! We don't even know if you've slept! Come on out and at least eat dinner with us all. We are a team you know." Said the figure that had strolled in from the doorway. Hiiro ran his eyes over the youth. He hadn't changed in three days. His brown hair was still pulled back into a knee length braid, his light blue eyes were still beaming with happiness. He still wore his infamous black shirt, and his small silver cross still hung around his neck. Duo Maxwell hadn't changed in three years. Why had Hiiro thought he would change in three days? 

"Maxwell. Get lost." Hiiro really didn't have patience for his 'friend' tonight.

"Hiiro! Come on man! What if we get a mission or something. I'm sure the Captain would be mad if you were too hungry to complete it."

"Get. Out." Hiiro tried his favorite death glare.

"Just come out and sit down with us. You don't even have to eat. But I'm warning you, Quatre and Trowa have been cooking, and you know they make the best food…"

This time Hiiro didn't acknowledge. At least, not with words. He simply reached into his top desk drawer very slowly.

"Oh! Hiiro man! Come on! You know I'm just playing with you! Come on man! Please don't…" Duo closed his mouth to gulp in fear. Why in the heavens had he picked a suicidal trigger-happy freak as his best friend? Now he could feel the cool metal travel from the center of his forehead to his temple. 

"Get. Out. Now."

"Going. Going." Once Duo had scampered out of the room and shut the door behind him, he breathed a sigh of relief. Inhaling again, he forgot Hiiro. 

"Food!" And he stumbled towards the kitchen and the wonderful smell it was emulating. 

Hiiro shrugged as he heard Duo's 'food' comment through the thin walls of the apartment. He opened the drawer and put the gun back where he had gotten it. He really loved his gun at that moment. Hell, he always loved that gun. It was the only present he had ever been given, and the only way he knew how to live. If he didn't work with the government as part of the SWAT team Gundam, he probably would have become something else just as deadly. Anything, so long as he could use his gun.

He thought over his job. All the work he did always paid off. Ittook his mind away from other, more haunting things in his life. Not to mention now that he was part of the Gundam SWAT team, he had friends. Or, well, allies that called him a friend. Hiiro Yui had no friends, nor did he want them. It was inevitable that anyone who he became to close to would die, so though they considered him a friend, he distanced himself as best as possible. It was hard though. He lived with the rest of the team, so he couldn't exactly get away from them. Duo was only the first of the other four members of their team.

All five of them were supposed to 'bond together' as their Captain said. It was supposed to help them when they had infiltration missions, or practically any other top secret and deadly important mission.

As far as Hiiro could tell, they did well enough the way they were now. Their negotiation officer was Quatre, a short, blonde haired, blue eyed Arabian who was usually too polite.

The investigations and infiltrations expert wasTrowa Barton, a tall reddish brown haired boy with green eyes who had originally been a circus performer. Though he wasquiet, he was calm in situations and a quick study. 

Then came Wufei Chang with his raven hair slicked back into a short, tight ponytail at the base of his neck. A pale yet harsh face framed his Dark onyx eyes. He was their more law- savvy partner. He had connections with ever judge, lawyer, law firm, and other major corporation that they might need funds or help from. He was also the most easily irritable of the bunch, often threatening to cut off Duo's knee length braid if the boy didn't stop talking. 

Duo. Duo was Duo. He was a great pilot, skilled at both hotwiring and driving anything on land, sea, or in air. He also had a knack for being the 'spirit' of the bunch, always the cheerful loudmouth getting himself into trouble. 

Then there was himself, Hiiro Yui. Brown hair. Blue eyes. 135 pounds, 5'6'' tall, blood type O-, nick name: the Perfect Soldier. The weapons and technical expert. He could hack any regular computer system in under a half and hour. Under an hour and a half if it was a government computer, and under two hours if it was another computer hacker's computer. So that was the team. Were they bonded, as the Captain had hoped? He had no idea. What he did know was that Quatre's cooking was making him hungry. Even the Perfect Soldier could get hungry after no meals for three days.

"Hey Hiiro! Glad you decided to join us!" Quatre exclaimed when he saw Hiiro gracing their table. 

"Yui." Wufei acknowledged him.

"Hey Hiiro." Trowa said to him, with a slight nod.

"Hiiro! We're going to a bar after we eat, want to come?" Duo exclaimed while stuffing his face with food.

"No." He answered.

"Come on Hiiro man!"

"Hiiro, you do need to get out more often." Quatre added, avoiding the glare Hiiro sent his way by asking Trowa to pass the salad.

"All work and no play makes for Hiiro to have a very dull day!" Duo happily announced.

"Maxwell, shut up!" Wufei said with a threatening tone in his voice.

"Hiiro, just come." Trowa said. Hiiro stared hard at all the boys, then gave a short nod in acknowledgment and a grunt.

"Yeeha! It's party time!" Duo yelled as the table of guys stood from eating to get ready to party.* 


	2. Ready?

Salvage My Life

Salvage My Life

- THIS IS THE REVISED VERSION

*NOTES- I didn't rate it for nothing. LOTS OF LIME, PROBABLY WILL HAVE SOME VIOLENCE, AND MORE ADULT THEME

*NOTES- I DO NOT BEIEVE IN DISCLAIMERS! Now on with the show!

Prologue: Ready?

*There weren't as many people as one would expect. Backstage was relatively quiet compared to the front room. Now there was a room with more people than one would expect. If possible, there were more men in the front room than the night before. Selene shuddered. In just a few moments, she would have to go out there. Into that. Why oh why in the stars didn't she stay in high school?Life would have been so much easier! But no! She had to have things her way. Her parents told her to do her homework, and what did she do? Read comic books. Her parents told her to stop dating Darien Chiba and stay away form him, and what did she do? Become even closer to him. Her parents told her to stay in school, and what did she do? Run away from it and them with Darien. What the hell had she been thinking? And now, here she was. Yes, this was the life she had always dreamed about. It was perfect. 

Now, without her parents and little brother nagging at her, she partied all night. She got up at one every afternoon and then went out and did it all over again. She lived in a huge pent house in San Francisco, right above the wharf. She and Darien spent what little time they had together awake, laying lazily in bed beside each other, usually in theirbirthday suits. Yes, She lived the ideal lifestyle. 

Then she woke up from wonderland and opened her eyes. Who the hell did she think she was? Alice? More like Joan Cleaver from Leave it to Beaver. Parties? What were they? One in the afternoon? Try six in the morning every morning, even weekends. Pent house? Try a two bed, one and a half bath apartment on the tenth floor of a smelly, flea and cockroach infested building. Oh, and don't forget the insane rent the landlord charged her. Darien? Oh, that sleazy bastard. The one who had taken all of her hopes and dreams to the highest point possible, promising to marry her and stay with her forever. Yeah, him. Well, scratch that. All he had done was convinceher to leave her safe home, gotten her pregnant, and left her. 

"Selene, hey, Goddess! You're one on five minutes!" Called a gruff voice from behind her.

"Alright Jake, I'm ready." She answered, looking herself over once more in the mirror. Her long golden hair with its silver highlights was lightly tousled and dripped down her back to her waist in long cascades. Her pale face was covered in transparent powder to take away the sheen of nervous sweat that accumulated along her brow. Her crystalline azure eyes peered at the world through heavy black mascara, and silver eye shadow and glitter highlighted the rest of her face. Ruby red lipstick took the place of her normally rosy lips color, and her long silver dress clung in every proper place it should, hips, thighs, bust, and much more. She really was ready. Yes, that was right. She was ready. Ready. Ready…

"Selene, you're on!"Called Jake, the stage manager. She was not ready.*


	3. What the Hell was I Thinking?

Chapter Two: What the Hell was I Thinking

Chapter Two: What the Hell was I Thinking?

* Hiiro could not believe where they were. Was this Duo's idea of a sick joke? A strip club? He should have stayed home tonight… he should have stayed home tonight…

"Well boys, here we are!" Duo announced happily as he jumped out of their car.

"A strip club?" Quatre gulped. 

"Maxwell! What is the meaning of this?" Wufei sneered at Duo from between his teeth.

"Well, simple. I heard from a friend of mine this place has the best entertainment around. I figured, since we only get Hiiro out once in a blue moon, we might as well enjoy it very thoroughly."

"But a strip club?" Trowa shuddered. He did not want to be caught in there. His girlfriend would kill him.

"I did say it was good entertainment!" Duo argued.

"And what is that woman of yours, Hilde, going to say? Or my woman, or Barton's or Winner's?" Wufei taunted him.

"Hilde and I have a very open relationship. She'd understand. Come on! The show already started!"He dragged Trowa and Quatre in by the ear, leaving Wufei to grumble along afterward and Hiiro to silently follow it all. What the hell had he been thinking?

~~~*~~~

" Selene? Did you hear me? I said you on!" It took anther two calls before Selene had the courage to step onto the stage and strike her usual pose. Every time she did this she felt sick to her stomach. Then she reminded herself that her other day job was not going to pay the rent, or put food on the table. Then she finally had the courage to go on with her performance. She felt the curtain rise. She felt the bright lights hit her eyes, and she smiled and began to move and sway as the music began. 

This was so disgusting. All these men had come here to see women, her, and others just like her, dancing. She pulled off the top of her clingy silvery dress and ran her hands up and down her body as she did so.

These men came to see more than just dancing though. They came to see some action. She swiveled around the pole on the side of the stage and dropped her long skirt. Without the skirt in her way, she was able to hoist herself up on the pole and then swivel back down and around. The men hollered twice as loud as before.

What were they thinking? And half of them were either married, engaged, or had steady girlfriends. So they were cheating on what ever other significant other they had in their life. Great. She removed her long white gloves, tossed them into the audience, and continued to strut around the stage.

And she was helping them to cheat. In being here, she helped them, compelled them to leave home for this, this, scandalous scene. Drinking, gambling, stripping, and whoring were all perfectly moral inside this building. And she was helping promote it. She was dancing in nothing but her underwear now.As slowly as possible, she lowered herself to the floor of the stage and did a few tricks on the floor.

Men were hounding her, yelling at her, and encouraging her. She wassupposed to be a goddess. Some goddess. How could men possibly like looking at her? She didn't think she was very attractive. Apparently, others did not share her personal opinion of herself. Picking up the money men were throwing at her, she erotically stuffed its down her bra and panties. Thank god she had left home, because if her parents knew she did this… they would be so ashamed. And her friends! 

Suddenly, looking up, her eyes caught a funny sight. One boy was rubbing the glove she had thrown into the audience against his cheek and hollering for more. Three others were blushing furiously. But there wasanother. His eyes gazed at her, but not at her body. They gazed into her face, her eyes, and her soul it seemed. He looked at her impassively, not judgingly as the others. He wasn't drooling, or screaming or smirking. He was just standing there, watching impassively and taking in the entire scene. The way he stood there, she almost wanted to go up and hug him, tell him everything would be alright, and maybe even… no!She allowed a light blush to grace her cheeks before she tore her eyes from his and continued dancing. Finally, the music ended. 

~~~*~~~

"Hey guys! Here's an empty table! And it's near the front too! Come on!" Duo grabbed the chairs and sat down in one of them. He let the other three pilots sit in the others. 

When Hiiro caught up with them through the crowd, he neglected his chair and opted to stand against the wall. Crossing his arms, he leaned back and let the layout of the room sift over him. Trying to get a feel for the atmosphere, he closed his eyes and listened, He could here drink orders being shouted, men talking about the last 'performer', men speaking about the next'performer', and other conversations much of the same topic. He heard the music start, but kept his eyes closed. When the lights of the room dimmed and became blue, he opened them and stared at the stage. 

Gracing the stage was an angel. Or, what he had always envisioned an angelmight look like if they were real. The woman's hair looked like spun gold dripping down past her waist. Her angelic child-like face was relaxed and peaceful, but her could see the tense readiness in the rest of her body. As she continued to lose more clothing, he watched as her serene face twisted and contorted. Gently, almost so he couldn't see it, her facial expression changed from disgust, to disbelief, to loss of emotion. There was something she was thinking about, something a lot more important than the 'dance' she was performing. 

"Hey, Hiiro, looking at something?" Duo poked him in his side. Hiiro looked next to him to see Duo now standing in whispering to him. 

"Hnn."

"Don't pretend like you're not. I saw your eyes, I followed your gaze. She's pretty, huh?"

" Hnn."

" Her name in the program is Selene, Goddess of the Moon."Duo chattered away.

" In the program?"

"Yeah. It's not her real name, of course, but it's what her stage name is. Get it? It's a whole theme. She dresses like a Moon Goddess, the lights go to fit the mood, the music too. Then, when the next chick comes on, they change the lights and music to fit whoevershe is."

" Hnn." 

" Fine man." Duo gave up and sat back down. Hiiro just kept his focus on the girl'sface, trying to see if a new emotion would grace her porcelain face. Then, she looked his direction. His eyes caught hers and he was trapped. Those eyes of hers. They were indescribable. Beautiful, deep blue eyes that he nearly drowned in. When she finally tore her eyes from his, it was too late. He had been struck by lightening. 

When the dance was over, he stayed in the same position. All through the other seven dances, he stayed motionless, his mind still completely focused on the woman who called herself Selene. What the hell was wrong with him? Why was he stuck this way? It was like a wonderful nightmare. Was such a thing possible? To have something good and not want it? Confusion muddled his mind and that, piled up with lack of sleep, cluttered his judgment and allowed Duo and Trowa to take him by the arms and lead him out of the bar. He remained just as impassive when Duo pushed him into the car and practically sat on top of him while trying to get in himself. It kept him completely out of it until the boys had dragged him all the way up to his room and lay him on his bed. In fact, until Hiiro fell asleep, all he could see were those eyes of the Moon Goddess Selene. Soft eyes that revealed raw turmoil.* 


	4. What? You ARE Joking, Right?

Chapter Three: What

Chapter Three: What? You ARE Joking, Right?

*She was dead on her feet. So she was finished with her dancing for that night. It seemed like it had taken her so long to finish. Longer than usual at any rate. After those eyes… that face… that, that, man… who did he think he was? Honestly! He had some nerve… never mind. All he had done was look at her and she had nearly lost her stage presence. And since when did one gaze through her completely off her stability? Oh! This was too much to think about tonight! 

Tomorrow she had to be up at six to make lunch for Ben, and if she didn't get home to sleep now, she would never be able to make it. Not to mention she would be late to work. She distinctly remembered her last heart to heart with her boss: "the next time you're late Tsukino, you're fired!" How could she forget that? She sighed heavily, then dumped her stuff in her giant canvas bag and began the short walk home. 

By the time she reached her apartment, she was ready for a crash. Throwing off her shoes, she collapsed on the couch.

" Ms. Tsukino?" a squeaky voice came from the shadows.

"Oh. Yes. Hi Kelly. "Thank you for watching Ben tonight." She kept her eyes closed. "I think I left your money by the phone. You can leave whenever you're ready."

"No problem. You're my best customer, and Ben is just so cute! Very wild and energetic, but cute." Said the teenage girl as she picked up her backpack and opened the apartment door.

"Yes, I know what you mean." 'Selene' smiled slightly. She knew very well how rambunctious her son could be.

" Well, I have to be going, goodnight!" With that, the door slammed shut, not leaving any room for a reply.

"Well. Let's go see our boy, shall we Serena?"She said to her self. Walking into the next room over, Serena left the light off, but opened the door wide enough to let a single stream of yellow light flicker across her son's sleeping face. She brushed his black bangs out of his face. He was almost a miniature of Darien. Still, he had his mother's azure eyes and perfect nose. His smile was a mutt mixture of his parents', as was the rest of his build. Still, he did resemble Darien more than herself. Smiling and stroking his cheek, she let a lone tear fall before she brushed it away and stood to leave her son to his dreams. 

Crawling into her bed in the room next door, Serena neglected to wash her face or change, she just snuggled under her covers and began to slowly cry herself to sleep.

~~~*~~~

'Here it comes' She thought to herself. Already six fifteen, Serena was up and standing in the kitchen. She was making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. When she glanced at the clock, she saw that it was nearly six seventeen. Everyday, just like clockwork, Ben came racing in, half dressed at that exact minute. 

" Mommy Mommy Mommy! You're back!" In flew a dark haired blur. It quickly latched onto Serena's open and waiting arms and squeezed with all its might.

" Of course baby. Did you think I would forget my favorite and only son?" She beamed a smile to him. He smiled back, revealing a missing tooth on his bottom left corner.

" No! You always come back! How was work?"He asked her. For a three year old, he sure was advanced. 

"Work was fine. Sit down here and eat your cheerios. Then you can tell me what you and Kelly did last night."

"Yeah! Kelly let me play with her tape player! She recorded me talking!"

"Did she?"

"Huh! Yes sir, yes she did!" He nodded emphasizingly. Serena couldn't help but grin at her son's antics. He really was just too innocent.

" Well, if don't finish you cereal, you'll be late for school."

"Oh no!" For all that she had hated school, her son seemed to love every second of it. If he kept this up, he would be a regular scholar by the time he was twenty. She watched him rush through his bowl of cereal, drown the milk down, and then race back into his room to finish getting dressed.

As they drove to school, Ben told her all about the tape recorder and how the babysitter, Kelly, had recorded him talking all last night. She laughed and asked him questions about what he said, if he made any animal noises for her, or if he sang. He just kept chattering, always with something new to say. When Serena dropped him off at the k- 12 school she had managed to enroll him in, he was still chattering about the night before. She kissed him goodbye and promised to pick him up at one sharp, just like always. Then she waved goodbye to him and drove off to work.

~~~*~~~

" So, Hiiro man! You sure were out of it last night! What happened? A girl actually attract you for a change? I guess you're not so immune to the charm of a woman after all!" Duo teased when Hiiro was finally able to drag himself out of his room the next morning.

"Braided idiot. Shut up." He growled.

"Oh! Look! It spoke!" Duo laughed. Soon he even had the other three laughing with him. Hiiro tried to ignore them, but found it worse the harder he tried to. Finally, he gave up and just gave them his trademark death glare. Not even dignifying Duo with more of a response, he grabbed his car keys. He might as well go for a breath of fresh air and let the fools work the kinks out of their systems while he was gone. 

" Beep! Beep! Beep!"One loud beep and two quieter beeps blipped from Hiiro's laptop in his room. Dropping his keys, he slipped into a monotone attitude and went to answer the beeping.Apparently, he had mail.

" SWAT team Gundam:" it read. " A bomb threat has been made by a student at the Juna School in south San Francisco. You are to head there immediately to assist the police in their negotiations. Warning: hostages are involved, most of them students and teachers." Hiiro shut his laptop and noticed the others had gathered around to read the newest assignment as well. 

" This is a huge injustice! Those are innocent civilians!" Raged Wufei.

"No shit Sherlock!" Duo said to him, with a definite grim hint in his voice.

"Well then! Let's stop sulking here and go take action!"Trowa said, quietlyand smoothly.Quatre just nodded enthusiastically. They heard the jingle of keys. 

"Are you or are you not coming?" Hiiro asked them darkly, dangling the keys in front of their faces.

"Let's go!" Duo yelled out, stealing the keys and racing towards the car. They all piled in, and Wufei distributed their bullet- proof vests, walkie -talkies, and guns. Hiiro refusedthe vest, but did take the walkie- talkie and gun offered to him. Now fully equipped and ready for action, the car accelerator was stepped on and pushed to the max as the five boys speed towards the school.

~~~*~~~

" Serena, may I please see you in my office?" Her boss asked her, nicely, for the first time ever. 'Maybe he's finally warming up to me.' She half smirked at her thoughts. 'Nah. Never happen.' She entered the office and closed the heavy door behind her. 

" Sir? May I help you?" She asked, trying to be as polite as possible.

" No. Serena, I just received a phone call from the Juna k-12 school. I believe that is where your son attends class?"

"Yes, but he's only in kindergarten. Did he do something? What's wrong?"

"I'm very sorry to have to break the news to you Miss Serena, however,… the school was taken hostage by a bomb threat and some angry senior students about an hour ago."

"Oh my…" She began laughing. "Wait, this is a joke right? Who put you up to it? Nancy? Roger?" She kept laughing.

"Miss Serena. I'm afraid it's no joke." She stared into his hard gaze and stopped laughing.

"You… You mean… oh my Lord! Ben!"She nearly had a heart attack.

"You have the rest of the day off Miss Serena." He told her, with great sorrow filling his usually hard and unforgiving eyes.

"Thank, thank you sir! Excuse me!" With that, Serena tore out of his office, grabbed her purse, and ran towards the parking lot, trying to find her keys as she ran.*


	5. Hostile Hostage Situation

Chapter Four: Hostile Hostage Situation

Chapter Four: Hostile Hostage Situation

*"Alright! Duo, find the Chief of Police in the district and bring him over here. Trowa, any information you can dig up within next fifteen minutes regarding the situation Wufei, see if they have a list of demands, Hiiro… well, do whatever you usually do." Quatre took charge when they reached the school grounds.

"What he usually does is save the day." Duo joked.

"What he usually does is dangerous, risky, and stupid." Wufei snorted.

"But it always seems to work." Trowa added. They all turned to see Hiiro was gone, already talking to an officer about something or other.

"What a drone!" Duo half whined and half laughed. 

"Maxwell! We have a job to do!" Wufei barked at him. Duo turned to find the rest of his 'comrades' gone.

"Some friends they are…" he began mumbling below his breath. He too, took off to find the Chief of Police.

~~~)*(~~~

Serena pushed the petal to the metal and practically speed down the streets to the school. The school it's self was only fifteen minutes from her apartment, but over forty-five minutes away from her office building. During the entire drive, she speed like a banshee, not caring if she nearly hit a pedestrian or two. All she could think about was her son.

How in the world could some psycho possible come up with the idea of holding a school hostage? It wasn't even some rich school, just a normal, average, public school. What was this guy's problem? She had problems, but she didn't try to hold a school hostage to fix them. How could some one so twisted and sick even be alive? She just couldn't comprehend.

And her son was in there with this lunatic! Her poor, young, innocent and defenseless son! Boy oh boy was this creepy slime ball going to pay for what he did, especially if he laid even one finger on her son!

"Come on! Can't you go any faster!" She screamed at the car in front of her. It seemed like the driver was an eighty-year-old man who shouldn't even have a license. He was going at the snail pace of thirty miles an hour. She blared her horn harder.

"Move it! Oh please let Ben be alright! Please…" she just kept praying over and over.

Finally, she arrived at the school. Or, well, as close to the school as she could come. There were so many cars blocking the streets that she couldn't drive any farther. Putting her car in park, she quickly jumped out, grabbed her purse, locked the doors, and ran the rest of the distance towards the school. ' Hail Mary full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb Jesus…' She ran the Hail Mary prayer through her head over and over, hoping that in some distant and Godly fashion either God himself or Mary heard her meager prayers and took pity upon her.

As she ran up along side of the yellow taped off area, she finally stopped and took a look at the 'scene of the crime'. It was a joke. Oh, sure, there were cops. They were standing around, laughing and either holding a cup of coffee or eating doughnuts. She could see a few, precious few, actually working, with maps and floor plans and papers strewn about all around them. Other than that, she couldn't see much else. 

Being naturally short, she had a slight problem seeing around or over the police cars parked inside the yellow tapped off area. Standing on her tiptoes, she still couldn't see much. All she wanted to know was whether or not her son was safe. She didn't care what it took, she would find out.

"Excuse me, sir! Excuse me!" She called to one of the groups of eating cops. She must have gotten their attention, because the men headed her way. One of the heavier men approached her.

"Yes, can I help you? What's a beautiful, young girl like yourself doing out here?" He gave her a lopsided and idiotic smile. How low could these men get? Did they have no respect?

"Yes, actually, you can help me. I would like to know what the details of the situation are please." She asked him, as sweetly as possible.

"Why would you want to know that?" She played into her hands.

"Because…" She stayed sweet. 

"Because why little pretty?" He responded. Ah! Her chance!

"Because…" her voice grew cold. "My son is in there." She did her best to glare as she tried to intimidate him. He obviously had been caught off guard, because he did look startled by her request.

"I'm sorry, Mame. I am not currently allowed to reveal any information about…" 

She grabbed his shirt.

"You listen to me, tubby. I want to know what is going on, and NOW." She stayed monotone, but narrowed her eyes and tried to be even more menacing. 

"I'll um, I'll uhh, go and uhh, see what the deal is for you mame." He tipped his hat and quickly strolled away.

Serena stood down off of the offense and the stared up at the six story school. Her poor son! Crossing her arms, she almost disappeared into the crowd, but one pair of eyes was able to follow her as she became near poltergeist. 

~~~)*(~~~

He had been standing here for the last hour listening to the stupid Police Chief drone on and on and on… he never seemed to end one sentence; they all seemed to run together. He could see Wufei was ready to snap of frustration. Duo was fidgeting more than ever. Quatre and Trowa were still listening attentively, but Hiiro was sure that wouldn't last for much longer either. 

All the damned Chief of Police had done was tell them what they already knew: there was a group of five men holding the students and teachers hostage within the school. There was a list of demands, but all were insanely impossible to meet within the time the terrorists had given. The terrorists wanted ten million dollars, cash, a private helicopter, five ladies' purses, twelve bottles of Hershey's chocolate syrup, and four cartons of mint chip ice cream. Oh, and copy of three of the newest releases at the video store. As Duo had put it, "These men want the stuff so they can claim insanity later on." Hiiro had to agree.

"…and that about wraps up all we know so far." Finished the Chief of Police. 'Took long enough' Hiiro thought, inwardly smirking.

"Thank you very much sir. I do believe my team and I need to discuss the next move amongst ourselves before we…"Quatre was cut off by a very loud, very angry voice of a woman.

"…My son is in there." All five of the Gundam Team followed the voice to a shortwoman who was leaning over the rope, glaring darkly at a somewhat heavier deputy officer. 

"You know, she looks familiar." Duo remarked. 

"Yeah, I see it too." Trowa said.

"Come on guys, focus. I'm sure that Deputy can handle that woman. She's just upset because her child is in there. And she's not the only one, so let's get this over with, the faster the children are safe, the better." Quatre put in, drawing everyone's attention back to him. Almost everyone. While Hiiro was listening, he was watching the overly upset mother standing with her arms crossed right next to the yellow tape. Though the others hadn't, he had recognized her immediately. She was the dancer from the club last night. 

What was she doing here? 'Stupid question.' He told himself. 'She obviously has a child in the building. I wonder if she's here alone, or if her husband is here too.' He mussed. Husband… Hiiro wondered if her 'husband' knew of her night job. He smirked, deep in his own thought.

"Hiiro? Hiiro? Earth to Hiiro?" Duo ran his hand up and down in front of Hiiro's face. Nothing happened. Suddenly Duo's hand wasstopped by Hiiro's jaws of life grip.

"Hn." He answered.

"Incase you didn't hear, Hiiro, we were planning on getting the terrorists theice cream, chocolate, and purses right now. We figure that if we get them, it will buy us some more time. I've already sent officers to get the chocolate and ice cream, why doesn't each of us pick a woman in the crowd, tell her we need her purse, explain why, and then we'll have the five purses?" Quatre asked.

"Hn." Hiiro grunted, but nodded in acknowledgement. He and the other five dispersed into the crowd, Hiiro, keeping his eyes on one small figure in the crowd, made his way over in her direction.

~~~)*(~~~

Serena was just standing. Standing and praying. And thinking about Ben. She clutched her arms around her self, trying to draw herself into oblivion, and, if it was possible, she seemed to shrink another two inches when she did it. She never noticed the man coming up to her, not until he was right in front of her. 

"Excuse me sir, but could you please step aside? I'm watching for my son, and…"

"May I please have your purse?" Was the cold, gruff reply she received from the figure in front of her.

"What? Are you mugging me? In this crowd, in the broad daylight, in this situation?" She replied, horribly shocked. How could such a person want to steal in the midst of such a crisis?

"No, I am not mugging you, Mrs.…" Came his reply. Serena breathed a small sigh of relief. At least she wasn't being mugged. Then she reconsidered. Just who in the stars did this person think he was?

"Number one, it's Ms, not Mrs. Number two, I don't just randomly give my name out, and number three, who the heck do you think you are, asking for my purse?" She gave a smug grin, thinking she'd gotten somewhere.

"I am Agent Hiiro Yui of the San Francisco SWAT team Gundam." He flashed his badge just for good measure. Serena's breath caught in her throat. She looked up, and drowned. 

The eyes…almost the same as the ones on the man at the club last night. Heck, who was she kidding? They were the same. They had to be. How many pairs of prussian blues eyes like these could there possibly be in the world, let alone one city? She finally pulled her gaze from his eyes and scanned the rest of his face. It was defiantly the same man as last night. What should she do?

"Alright, Agent Yui. Let me ask you why you asked me for my purse?" She asked him. She figured the more information on his motives, the better.

"The terrorists are demanding five women's purses." He said, and she thought she caught a quick smirk on his stone straight face.

"But why 'my' purse? Why not any other woman?" She pressed.

"I remember you form last night. And you recognize me as well. You have a son in the school." She sort of gasped, but quickly caught herself.

"How did you know I had a son on the school?" She asked him skeptically and lightly, as if she didn't care he knew.

"My team mates and I heard you yelling at that over weight deputy a few minutes ago." Now she blushed, and he gave a clear side smirk. 

"Huh." She though hard. "Well, I'll tell you what. You let me inside the yellow tape so I can hear what's going on for myself, and I'll let you have my purse."

"I'm not at liberty…"

"Don't give me that jargon. You can, and I know it. Inside tape, or no purse."

"I can go to other women for theirs."

"And they will probably smack you upside the head with it afterwards." She smirked.

"It's your son in there." He countered.

"You're right. It is my son in there. Which is why I want to know what is going on. Is there something so wrong with that?"

"Will I have to let your husband in as well?"

"I'm not married."

"Your ex-husband?"

"Not that it's any of your business, but I've never been married. Look, do you want my purse or not? It's simple, really."

"Stay back, near my car, when we go in."

"Deal. Here's my purse." She willingly and easily handed it over to him, then followed him as he walked back to where his other four friends had gathered near their car, each with their own purses.*


	6. To Infiltrate or Not, That is the Questi...

Chapter Five: To Infiltrate or Not, that is the Question

Chapter Five: To Infiltrate or Not, that is the Question

*"Hiiro! Did you get your purse?" Quatre called to him as he came closer to the group. 

"Yeah." He answered.

"Are those men part of your team?" Serena asked him, her voice near to a whisper.

"Hn." He responded to her.

"Thanks for the clear and precise answer. It was really helpful." She said sarcastically. 

"So Hiiro, who's the babe?" Duo came up between the two and slung his arms around their shoulders. Serena semi snorted and Hiiro stayed his impassive self.

"I'm no babe. What is with cops and their pet names for women? Even in a crisis I still get hit on. You know, I am really beginning to hate your male species." She said very bluntly. She watched as the boy who had just slung his arm around her shoulder detracted it and grumbled something under his breath.

"I'm terribly sorry Miss…" A blonde boy stepped forward to speak to her.

"Well!" She flashed him a smile. "At least some one has a few manners around here. Miss. Tsukino. My son is in the building." Serena said as she stared up at the building. It was only then that Hiiro noticed she carried a rosary in her right hand. 

"Yui! You are not supposed to bring the parents inside the yellow tape! Especially the mothers. Women are too emotional." Said a Chinese boy from behind her.

"Excuseme sir, but I am not emotional. And, as I recall, last night…mmehehemm…" She was cut off by Hiiro's hand covering her mouth.

"She gave me her purse in exchange for being allowed to cross the tape. She'll be staying back here, near my car, as she agreed, am I correct Miss. Tsukino?" Hiiro said for her. He looked down at her and made the mistake of catching her eyes. They were slightly blurry, and he could see the beginning of tears welling up in her eyes. He mentally sighed. She wasn't as emotionally stable as he had thought. No decent woman cried at being stopped from talking for a few seconds.

Serena listened to how the boys treated her. As of she wasn't right there in front of them, but over in some long lost and distant corner. Darien had begun doing that a few weeks after they had left Tokyo. She couldn't help the tears that were welling up. Being ignored, plus being grabbed so roughly by Hiiro, plus her son in a dangerous situation that shehad no control over… it was just all so much at one time to handle. She looked up and straight into Hiiro's eyes. She saw him roll his eyes at her and that nearly pushed her over the edge. She couldn't break the gaze, and he was making no move to do so either.

So he was trapped. He rolled his eyes. He couldn't break his eye contact with her. Were his eyes not functioning properly? He couldn't tell. He could see fear in her eyes and felt guilty. How could he have possibly made this 'Moon Goddess' want to cry? He wanted to hit himself for being such an idiot. 

"Whoa! Talk about love at first sight!" Duo let out a low whistle. The other boys snickered at his comment. Hiiro finally gathered enough will power to break the gaze. What was it about her eyes? So clear, so expressive, so wise, so tired…. She seemed as if she knew something he did not, had lived through hell. But that was impossible. He had lived through hell in his childhood. There was nothing worse than the battles he had fought. Was there?

When Hiiro tore his stare from hers, she backed away from him slowly and right into Trowa, who barely flinched. "Oh, I'm sorry." She contemplated for a second. "Well? What are you just standing there for? Go rescue my son!" She reprimanded them. 

"It's not as easy as it looks Miss. It takes a lot of planning and careful calculations first." Quatre told her.

"Then go plan!" As she spoke two deputies walked up to the group of six.

"Here's the ice cream and chocolate the terrorists requested. The helicopter is on it's way, and the three videos they wanted are here too." One of them told Quatre. 

"Good. When will the copter be here exactly?" Trowa asked.

"Why don't you come with me and we'll find out." The other deputy said. Trowa shrugged and nodded. Quatre stepped out to join them as well, and they left together, 

"I'm going to find more information." Wufei said. He quickly disappeared not the crowd. 

"I'm with Wufei on this one. I want more information on who these terrorists are. If they are students there's bound to be records of them somewhere, and I'm going to find them." He too slunk out of sight. 

"What are you going to do?" Serena asked Hiiro when the others had left. 

"Hn." 

"That's not much of an answer."

"Hn." He grunted again. Where had those tears she had held in her eyes gone so suddenly? She was different now, stronger. 

"You know… I remember you from last night." She said in a lower more gentle tone. His head slightly rose to meet her gaze.

"So." It was a statement, not a question. He wanted to know where she was going with this new topic, but didn't want to seem too interested.

"You're different." She shrugged her shoulders and looked back towards the school. "When do you decide to make a move to infiltrate?" 

"When diplomacy fails." She had dropped the previous subject. But she had said he was different. Great. Just great. What the hell did that mean? He knew he was different, but somehow he doubted that when she had said he was 'different' that she had meant his disposition. She had meant something else. Something else all together. 

"What is your 'diplomatic plan?'? To let them blow up the school and then try for a search and rescue of the survivors"? She asked him sarcastically. She hadn't meant to mention the night before, but she had needed as icebreaker so badly. Now she had done it. Her and her big mouth. She should have shut up, but no. She had to go and say he was 'different'. What did that mean? Not even she knew. Scratch that. Oh, she knew. She just wanted to burry it deep and forget it. 

"No. We'll give them what they want. Then while they are escaping we'll take them out." He grunted. She could be very snippy when she was agitated, he could tell just by this first meeting.

"Oh really? And what happens when these 'terrorists' decide to go on a shooting spree before they leave? Hmm?" She prodded him.

"They will regret it." His eyes narrowed and for a split second Serena could swear she saw a flicker of enraged flames crash through them. Slightly taken back, she backed up, and then smirked. Turning her back to him, she crossed her arms around herself and sent a prayer of thanks to the heavens. This man may not speak a lot, and he may not be the most polite, but one thing was for sure. He cared about his work, and he would get her son out safe. A giant weight lifted from her shoulders. For the first time since she had found out she was pregnant she felt relaxed. Everything would be alright. 

"I hope so." She said quietly. 

Hiiro was checking his watch. It was three o'clock now. They had been here for well over four hours. He heard Serena's comment, and shivered. Something in her voice was gone. The harshness, the sharp tongue he had come to expect from her was softened. What revelation had she had that made her feel better about this situation? Never mind. This was insane.

)(

The situation was becoming increasingly worse. Wufei had just informed him that a new list of demands was being sent to them, as well as the threat that if the demands were not completed within a certain amount of time, they would start killing the rest of the hostages. 

Hiiro looked around him. He saw the police sitting and eating chips from a giant bag if food. Quatre was discussing something with the Chief of Police, Wufei was missing, Duo was hitting on a woman in the crowd, and Trowa was bent over a computer researching one thing or another. He turned to the people in the crowd, the ones behind the yellow tape.

Most of them were concerned parents. They were milling about, talking and trying to comfort one another. It appeared that all of the mothers knew each other one way or another. The fathers, too, were talking, some even laughing. Then he looked at Serena, who was sitting on the trunk of his car. 

He had placed her up there to keep her out of the way, but she had continually gotten off and bugged him and his teammates with her questions. Earlier in the afternoon, around five thirty, she had left all together. She had returned a mere twenty minutes later with three cheese pizzas, all of which were for him and his friends. Though Quatre had tried to offer her a slice, she had refused each time. Since then, she had stayed on the car and been rather subdued. 

It was unusual. She was obviously a young mother, probably closer to his age than the rest of the mother and fathers in the crowd. He wondered how old her son was and where his father was. Of all the mothers behind the tape, not one of them had seen her and called out to her. It was as if they completely ignored her, like she didn't even exist. What was so wrong with Serena that she couldn't have any friends or even acquaintances? 

He found himself just standing and staring at her. Her expression had depleted to a barely hopeful one. She held her rosary and was praying silently, oblivious to the happenings around her. She was pretty. She was beautiful. And here she was, near tears. Because of some gang of mislead teenagers. That was the last draw.

"Quatre, Trowa, Duo, Wufei." He called out to the crowd. Within minutes all of the Gundam SWAT team members had gathered and were looking expectantly at Hiiro for his news.

"It' s time for action." He simply said.

"But Hiiro, they haven't sent any word for over an hour and a half! Don't you think you're being a little rash?" Quatre pleaded.

"No. This gang has held the school hostage for over eleven hours. That's too much time as it is." His eyes darkened.

"Yeah! You said it Hiiro man! All these people out here are expecting their children in time for bed. Let's not disappoint them." Duo agreed.

"Quatre, Hiiro's right. Sometimes negotiation falls through. This is one of those times. We infiltrate." Trowa joined in.

"I'm for it too." Wufei gave no reason, but drew his gun and checked the cartridge. 

"Well… if you're all positive nothing can come of the negotiations…"

" We are." Trowa countered quickly.

" Then let's get ready. We're going in." Quatre left to inform the police. Hiiro walked to his car to retrieve the supplies they had brought with them. He saw Serena looking curious, but she made no indication that she was going to ask her questions. He felt rather guilty for some reason, and decided he had to correct that feeling before he went in.

"We're going to infiltrate." He told her quietly, avoiding looking into her face. 

"You, you mean you're going in?" She asked him evenly. 

"Hn." He answered. 

"Why?" This time he turned and looked at her. She hurried on. "I mean, what made you decide to take action?" 

"It's been too long." He answered, checking out the two guns he was holding. Both needed a new cartridge of bullets.

"Here, hand me that." She commanded him gently. Taking the gun from his hands, she took the cartridge he had brought out for it and loaded it expertly. "There." She saw his look and had the decency to blush.

"I learned some interesting stuff when I moved to this country…" She handed the gun back to him.

"Hn." Was his only reply. She looked hurt. He cleared his throat silently. "What's your son's name?" He asked her, andwatched as she brightened quickly.

"Ben. Benjamin Tsukino." He nodded.

"I'll see that he gets out safely." He told her. The reaction was instantaneous. She jumped off of the car and wrapped her thin arms around him. She just held him in that same position, holding on for what seemed like dear life. He slowly processed the knowledge that she was hugging him, and slowly raised his arms to return the favor. 

Serena felt him finallymove to respond to her hug. His warm warms loosely held her waist and she felt a jolt of faith and trust surge through her veins. 

"I trust you." She whispered into his ear. Then she let go and turned to sit back on the trunk of the car again. He gave her one final glance before going to meet the others in the corner. 

Serena sat back on her place on the trunk of his car. Hiiro was definitely different. Of all the people who knew she was a stripper, he was the only one. The only one who had… never mind, forget it. She looked at the other parents of kids in the school. Laughing, talking, comforting each other that the situation would come out right in the end. All of them ignored her.

At least she knew Hiiro was going to bring her son back, that was the only thing that mattered now. If she didn't have Ben, there would be no point left to her life. She would be aimless and dead in spirit. Hiiro had to bring him back. She trusted him too, he would.

)(

"So, Hiiro, what was that all about?" Duo homed in on him when he reached the group.

"Hn." Hiiro figured the safest response was the non-existent one. That and the fact that he himself was not quite sure of what it was about. 

"Yes Yui. What were you doing with that weak woman?" Wufei dealt the next blow.

"Hn. Let's go, here are the guns." He distributed the guns and waited for the others to get a feel for their new weapon. 

"Hiiro, you should put on a bullet proof vest like we have." Quatre advised him.

"Too much extra bulk." Hiiro simply brushed it off.

"But…" Quatre began to argue.

"We know the gang members have two people on each floor, so we'll split up and take them out simultaneously. Quatre, you and Trowa take the first two floors of the school. Duo and Wufei, take the third and fourth floors. I'll take the fifth and sixth." Hiiro set the operation up.

"How do we evacuate the children?" Trowa asked him.

"After we're sure the entire gang has been completely taken care of, we can let them out floor by floor." Hiiro responded in a cool and calculating tone.

"Right then. Let's do it!" Duo cried. Quatre smiled at the braided boy's enthusiasm. Both Wufei and Trowa smirked, and Hiiro simply nodded in agreement.*


	7. Predators Stalking Prey

Chapter Six: Predators Stalking Prey

Chapter Six: Predators Stalking Prey

*As Hiiro looked up at the building for possible entrances, he noticed that each floor had many thick glass windows. Dangerous if guns were fired because of the shattering effect, the windows were also one of the best possible entrances or escape exits. 

"I say we go in straight, right through the front doors. They won't be expecting it, and we'll have the advantage of starting on the ground floor and working our way up." Wufei said calmly, analyzing the situation. Hiiro had to agree; it seemed like the best option right now.

"Wufei had a good point. Shall we get to it then?" Quatre said with a small smirk. These gang members were going to regret ever going wayward, that was for sure. As the pilots quickly snuck up on the building, each assessed their own plans for destroying the enemy and liberating the children in their minds. Finally, all five of them had snuck up on the giant wooden doors. Their plan was simple so far. To get in, they would bring one of the demands the gang wanted, the ice cream. Each carrying their own carton of the cold treat, Trowa managed to know on the doors. 

"Who is it?" Came a muffled voice form inside.

"We have the ice cream, we're just delivering it." Called out Quatre. 

"Leave it on the stoop where you are." Came the voice again, this time more clearly and closer.

"But it'll melt. Come on, let us at last put it in the freezer in the school kitchen for you." Called back Quatre in his most pleasant and innocent voice possible. They did have to sound innocent and stupid after all. 

"Well, alright. But come in quickly." 'We're in.' Thought Hiiro silently. 'Ben Tsukino, kindergarten…' Hiiro tried to drop the thought, but fond for some strange reason he couldn't get Serena, or her son, out of his head. She was clouding his judgment and distracting him from his mission, even while he was so far away from her. Waking from his reverie, he saw it was his turn to quickly enter the school. Following behind Duo, he walked through the doors and into yet another mere life or death situation. Funny how fate works. He finds someone, and all of a sudden he needs to risk his life… back up. Who said he had found someone? Sure Serena was nice and pretty and smart and caring and loyal and he was going mad, now he was sure. 

)(

Serena watched as Hiiro and his friends Duo, Quatre, Trowa, and Wufei all made their way through the fenced off area around the school with ice cream in their hands. Hiiro's actions had surprised her slightly. She had never expected him to tell her what they were planning on doing; she thought he and his friends would just go do it and then she would know afterwards. 

Poor Ben. He was still stuck in that god-awful building as she just stood by helplessly. He was probably cold, hungry, tired, and scared. Her poor, poor son! Oh she would give anything in the world to have traded places with him, just so he wouldn't have to suffer this emotion damage, but no! She was stuck here, on the ground below, waiting for some small sign of hope.

But Hiiro had given her hope. She had seen it in his eyes; in that momentary flash of passion and rage she had seen his determination to resolve this situation quickly and without harm to the hostages. And she trusted that he would. Anyone with that much drive would succeed, no matter what the odds stacked against them were. 

"Serena! Hey Serena!" A voice called out to her through the crowd. She slightly tilted her head to see who was coming towards the yellow tape in the dark. "Serena! Over here!" Called the voice again. Finally able to see in the dimness of the flares, Serena could make out the face of her only friend, Hilde. 

"Hilde." Serena said quietly. "You can come under the tape if you want." 

"I'm coming, hold on." The petite girl made her under the tape and around the cops, who had by now learned that when Serena didn't get her way she could be very disagreeable. Serena watched as Hilde came closer to her. Her only friend, Hilde had short bluish purple hair and violet eyes. A slim form was visible beneath the tight stretch pants and giant sweater she loved to wear. Both had met when they began stripping the same nights at the club, but because of certain circumstances, Hilde had been able to finally leave her world as an exotic dancer behind. 

"Hey Hilde. I'm so glad you're here." Serena said quietly, still sitting on the trunk of Hiiro's car and hugging her knees into her chest. 

"No problem. I'm only sorry I didn't get here any sooner. So how did you get around the tape rule?" Hilde asked her, bubbling with energy Serena had long since lost.

"It's alright. I knew one of the SWAT team members." She told her.

"You knew one of them? How? Why didn't you ever tell me before?" Hilde spilled quickly, slightly wondering if her friend's friend knew her boyfriend.

"Well, I don't exactly, know, him. He was at the club last might and we caught each other's eye. Then this happened, and, well, he came over and let me in when I gave him my purse."

"What? Why did he want your purse? Did it match his shoes or something?" Hilde tried to joke. So maybe she had been wrong, Serena's friend probably didn't know Duo…. Serena broke a small side smile. 

"No. One of the demands of the terrorists was five women's purses." She answered her energetic friend. 

"Oh, right, gotcha. So what's the latest news?" 

"The Gundam SWAT team has just begun an infiltration of the school." Serena shuddered and looked up. 'Poor Ben.' She thought.

"Wow. They're already moving in? That's fast. Don't worry Sere. They'll have Ben out in no time, you'll see, I promise." Hilde reached over to hug her friend. So it was Duo's SWAT team after all, Serena just didn't know it yet. This could be fun! After all, it wasn't everyday that something like this happened to some one she new, and Serena was bound to be having a hard time dealing with it, and maybe the only single member of the team could help her somehow… Nah, that would be wistful thinking. Hiiro wasn't like that…

)(

Hiiro looked around the floor for the walkie-talkie. 

"Kurt? Are you there Kurt? Kurt!" Was heard throughout the room. Finding the walkie-talkie beneath the heavy corpse of the once living gang member, Hiiro picked it up to respond. 

"Kurt here. Sorry it took me so long. Nature called." Hiiro did his best imitation of what he thought the boy might have sounded like.

"Oh. Sorry for bothering you. Did you here anything?" The other voice responded.

"No." Hiiro lied. What the other boy had heard was him killing his friend, not that he needed to know that. Yet. 

"Oh. Well, keep on guard." 

"Will do." Hiiro responded before cutting off all transmittion. After dropping the walkie-talkie back where he had found it, Hiiro he quickly and quietly moved down the hallway of lockers towards the steep, metal staircase. Stepping on the first stair, he tested it before putting his full weight on it. It wouldn't do for him to give away his position now, he was one step closer to succeeding in his mission. Using the railing to help him keep balanced, he tested each step after the next in much the same way he had tested the first stair. Only ten more steps to go before he reached his final destination, the fifth floor. 

Quatre and Trowa had the easiest of the mission, at least in their minds. Only having to climb one set of stairs helped the greatly. However, before they could take out any of the gang members, they had to do a reconnaissance of how many there were and where they were stationed strategically. Quatre had split from Trowa, taking the first floor while Trowa took the second. 

Looking around, he found that there was a guard in every other room of the hallway. This was no minor operation as the cops had lead his team to believe. The gang was huge, at least thirty members, if not more. How sad, all these bright young students with so many problems. What in the universe was wrong with society today? 

Trowa, on the other hand, was having an even easier time. He found guards every four classrooms. Vaguely wondering how the rest of his teammates were doing, he didn't stop to ponder too much. Turning back around, he left the hallway to meet Quatre at their rendezvous point.

"Hey Trowa. What did you find out?" Quatre asked him as soon as he stepped back into the main lobby of the school, far away from any prying ears. 

"They have guards every four classrooms. The guards have guns and knives." Trowa stated simply.

"Well, I found almost the same thing, except the guards were stationed in every other classroom in my side. Should we just take them out classroom by classroom?" Quatre suggested.

"Sounds fine. But we need to make sure the children or teachers don't interfere of get injured. No gun shots at all costs. The upper levels hear guns and we're as good as dead, along with the rest of the hostages."

"Good point. Well, I'll see you in about a half and hour, alright? Try not to make your 'kills' to bloody. The kids are young and innocent." Quatre warned Trowa.

"I know Quatre, I know." Quatre just nodded in response, and soon both were off on their missions.

Duo and Wufei had just finished their recon. of the third floor. Meeting back at the stairwell to convene, they had a harder time keeping silent then Trowa and Quatre had. 

"So Wufei, did you by any chance see that hot teacher in room 87?" Duo joked slightly.

"Maxwell! Idiot! We are on a mission, we should not be fooling with such irrelevant nonsense!" Wufei almost blew their cover.

"Hey, chill Wu-man, I'm sorry dude. I didn't know you and Sally were that hot and heavy. If she's got you wrapped around her finger so much, why don't you go and…"

"Injustice! Such a weak woman as Sally will not rule me! Tell me what you saw on your route on the floor above." But Duo and Wufei himself knew Wufei was blushing furiously in the darkened shadows of the stairs at Duo's suggestion.

"Fine sure, what do I care. Just tell me one thing, is she really that good in bed?" No comment was heard for a minute. Duo thought Wufei had passed out, or gone into shock, or something when he heard no noise. Then it came.

"She's better than what Hilde gave me the other night." The comment was imply and quiet. Duo nearly had a heart attack.

"WHAT?" He practically bellowed.

"Maxwell, no matter how poor you woman did in bed, we need to stay alive so you can go back to her. That means shutting up before we're caught. I'll take the guards on the top floor. You do this one. No guns, and prevent them from shooting at all costs. See you in half and hour." Wufei smirked to himself in the dark and silently slipped away, leaving a stunned Duo with his jaw on the floor behind him.

Hiiro was done checking and clearing the fifth floor by now. All of the guards had been stationed three classrooms apart. While his other team members preferred to check out the entire situation before acting, Hiiro worked as he went. No matter. It didn't matter how he did his job, the objective was success. Hiiro Yui had never failed a mission. Never. Looking back veer his shoulder, he felt nothing when he saw the bodies of the gang members he had killed lying in the middle of the hall. He had been sloppy; he should have hidden them better. Oh well, there wasn't enough time…

Finally beginning to make his way to the top floor, he breathed lightly, then caught his breath and melted into the shadows. A guard was coming from the sixth floor down. If that guard saw the dead guards in the hallway below, he would alert the others. That was not be a good thing. As soon as the guard passed him, Hiiro took out his knife. It was the quietest weapon he owned. Readying to throw it, he was forced to step back into the shadows from which he had come. 

Yet another guard was coming. The difference was, this one was coming from the floors below. As the two guards met, they turned to survey the scene before them. Hiiro's brain began to function overtime. This was not good. Not good at all. Surprisingly, the guards didn't scream or go berserk. They just stood there, surveying the rest of the scene. This gave Hiiro a chance to ready his knife again. But he only had one, and there were two guards…

)(

She sat, idly watching the entrance to the building and waiting. It had only been half an hour since the SWAT team Gundam had infiltrated, and so far no news had been heard. The building was as silent as before. No one had come out, and no one had gone in. No screams, no gunshots. Serena supposed that was a good thing because no gunshots meant no one was getting hurt so far. But that was just so far. Her son was still up there, on the sixth floor…

"What are you thinking about?" Hilde asked Serena.

"Ben. He's all the way up there on the sixth floor Hilde, all the way and all alone. I'm so worried about him, so scared he's not going to make it." Serena buried her face in her hands and shook her head. Though she wasn't crying, her shoulders began to tremble and shake with fear.

"Don't worry Serena. I'm sure Duo'll get him out alright." Hilde said, trying to be perky for her melancholy friend. She certainly did get Serena's attention.

"Duo? How do you know Duo?" Serena asked her suddenly.

"Duo? Serena, Duo is my boyfriend. Remember, I told you I met a really great guy one night after dancing, and he turned out to be in law enforcement?" Hilde told her.

"But, do you mean Duo Max…"

"…well. That's him. Great isn't he? Though his teammates are strange. Take Trowa. He's so quiet. And Wufei is forever threatening my poor Duo with his katana. And Hiiro? Well, we won't go there. That boy is just plain crazy. As for Quatre, well, he's the most normal one of the whole bunch. How Duo got mixed up with them I'll never know, nor do I really want to." 

"You mean to tell me that you know all of them? For how long?" Serena pressed her, everything else forgotten about in the moment. 

"For aboutthree months now. If you ask Duo, he'll know the exact time. He even knows the exact hour, minute and second we met for our first actual date. That's when I met the guys, the same night." 

"Why didn't you tell me?" 

"I don't know. I guess it wasn't important at the time. I'm sorry. But hey, why do you care so much?" 

"I… I… well, you see, Hiiro promised and…"

"You mean Hiiro Yui? You got Hiiro Yui to speak to you, let alone look at you? Wow! You're my hero!" Hilde gushed. Serena took this into her memory banks and compared it with the other information she knew about Hiiro. Was he really that reclusive? He didn't act that bad around her… he even stared her straight in the eye, more than once too. Why was Hilde so shocked? Hiiro seemed so nice, so, accepting…

"What did he promise you Serena?" Hilde asked her suddenly. 

"Hmm? Oh, that he would bring Ben out safely." Serena said, lost in her own thought.

"What?? When did you meet him anyway? Just today?" Hilde pressed for more answers.

"Last night he was at the club while I was dancing. He… he… has these amazing eyes…" Answered Serena, still very much in oblivion to what she was saying to Hilde.

"He was at the cub!? Amazing eyes? Are you sane? Sure, he had gorgeous eyes, I'll admit it, but he's so cold and distant… Serena? Serena? Are you listening to me? Earth to Serena!" Hilde's yelling didn't reach Serena's brain. 'She must really be out of it.' Thought Hilde. 'She's must really have fallen hard for him… I can see why, he is hot… not as hot as Duo of course…' Her thoughts trailed off as well as they both continued to wait for the safe return of the SWAT team with Ben. *


	8. Liberate the Children

Chapter Seven: Liberate the Children

Chapter Seven: Liberate the Children

*Trowa had finished with the last of his guards three minutes ago. Now he was standing in the lobby waiting for Quatre to join him. Crossing his arms, he fingered the gun he held in his right hand. Spinning it back, then forward, then back again he was incredibly bored. Soon enough, Quatre came huffing and puffing out of the corridor to his left.

"Done?" He asked the blonde boy.

"Yeah, I just finished with the last of them. Did you notice anything, unusual, about these senior gang members?" Quatre finally caught his breath.

"You mean the fact that half of them are over forty and are heavily overweight? No I didn't notice anything at all." The taller boy smirked at the smaller Arabian.

"Funny Trowa. I meant it. If they're over forty, how can they bee seniors in high school? I mean, we're only twenty and we finished high school almost four years ago."

"Simple. They are not from a simple high school gang. Heard from Hiiro, Duo, or Wufei yet?" Trowa asked him, almost with an impatient tone in his voice.

"No. Do you think they're all alright?" Quatre asked him worriedly. 

"They're fine. Give them time." Trowa responded, putting away his gun. I'm going to explain to the teachers what the evacuation process will be like. Wait here and keep a look out. When I'm finished, you go do the same to your floor." 

"Sounds good. See you soon, and watch your back." But Trowa was already gone. Quatre shook his head with a small grin playing across his features. That was such a Trowa thing to do, disappear like that…

"Maxwell, have you finished yet?" Wufei called down the hall softly. 

"Sure Wu-man! I finished about five minutes ago. You sure are getting slow in your old age. Has Sally noticed a change in your pace in bed?" Duo grinned idiotically and was rewarded with a huge smack upside the head courtesy of Wufei.

"I will overlook that injustice. Now is not the time. Any word from Quatre, Trowa, or Hiiro yet?"

"Nah. They must be pretty busy. I say we try to contact Quatre though. He'll be the most worried over us. Hiiro's probably almost done, but if he's still working, he'll be mad that we disturbed him."

"Agreed. One of us should stay here and keep watch while the other goes to the second floor." Wufei answered him with a knowing nod.

"I thought they were going to meet on the first floor in that lobby?" Duo corrected him with a smug grin.

"Fine. Since you know your way around so well Maxwell, you go find Quatre." Wufei tried to keep his anger in.

"Maybe I will!" Duo fake cried. 

"Good riddance to bad rubbish. Now get lost Maxwell." He shoved Duo downwards, towards the stairs.

"Fine. I know when I'm not wanted. Sheesh, some guys and all of their…" He continued to mumble under his breath until Wufei couldn't hear him anymore.

Hiiro was caught in a dilemma. Which one should he throw the knife at? Both guards were going for their walkie-talkies to warn the others. Well, he had to pick quickly, so he picked the one who had the walkie-talkie closer to his mouth. Taken careful aim, Hiiro threw the knife with deadly accuracy. It came to a halt with a thick dull thud as it hit the body of the gang member and lodged within the base of his neck. The boy fell over dead instantly. The other kept trying to radio for help until Hiiro was able to knock the radio out of his hand. But it was too late; the damage had been done. Quickly finishing off the guard in much the same manner as the first, Hiiro came out of the fight with only a scratch on his left forearm. Blood began to seep from the deep wound, but he paid it no heed, he had no time. Racing towards the stairwell he yelled down to whoever was there.

"Wufei! Duo!" He called.

"Yui? What's happened? Have you finished?" 'Wufei!' Hiiro thought.

"No! Code red! Evacuate the students now as quickly as you can. You need to handle this floor too, I still have to get to the kindergarten rooms!" 

"Understood! I'll tell the others!"

"Acknowledged!" Hiiro yelled back. Soldiers were already beginning to come pouring down the upper stairwell towards him. This was not good. Taking out one of his guns, he began to resort to his last method: shooting the living daylights out of the punks who thought they could get away with holding a school hostage.

Four guards came at him at once while the other five stood at the top of the stairs watching and smirking as Hiiro took them on. The first boy seemed young, only seventeen or so. He charged Hiiro first, carelessly neglecting to watch Hiiro's left hand. While Hiiro dropped his empty gun from his right hand, he slammed his left hand deep into the stomach of the unsuspecting boy. The boy crumpled to the floor in a fit of mad coughing. Soon he was spitting up blood as well. The next boy turned to face Hiiro. He was a little more wary, not lunging until he had picked up a heavy piece of metal. Swinging madly and losing control of the metal pipe, Hiiro was able to kick the already off balance boy down the stairs behind him and watch as he tumbled down, probably breaking his neck, if not killing him.

The next two charged him at the same time, and were both rewarded the same fate. Hiiro simply sidestepped them and they both went flying, one down the stairs cracking something in the process, and the other crushing his head into the wall. The other soldiers at the top of the stairs were apparently not pleased with Hiiro's actions. They brought out their heavy-duty guns and tried to take aim. Unfortunately for them, Hiiro was faster. Before they could take proper aim, he was running up the stairs coming straight for them.

)(

"Serena? What's going on?" Serena heard her scared friend's voice and wondered much of the same thoughts. All of a sudden the cops were abuzz with news and jobs and energy. Those who had been eating stopped and hid the food. The police cars were beginning to move back. The police began trying to clear the civilians from the area near the yellow tape. In fact, they moved the entire yellow tape area back almost ten yards. The cops that weren't working were suddenly busy putting on bulletproof vests and checking their guns for the number of bullets. Gunshots came from within the school. Serena knew immediately something had gone wrong inside. 

"Excuse me sir?" Serena stopped the Chief of Police. 

"Oh, hello again Miss. Serena. Look, I know you're allowed to be here, but please get back. In fact, would you move the Gundam SWAT team's car back as well? I know you're with them…" He began.

"Yes, sure I'll move it back, but what's going on, what's happening?" Serena pressed him.

"Oh, err, um, well,"

"Just spit it out!" Hilde yelled at him. Serena had to smile at her actions. That as Hilde for you, wild and forceful as ever.

"We've gotten a threat on the building." The Chief spit out.

"That's nothing new." Muttered Serena. She and Hilde gave half grins.

"No, I mean a bomb threat. Apparently they know we've got men on the inside and they are threatening to blow the entire school up."Serena and Hilde went silent; any thought of grinning became non-existent. Serena's heart raced a thousand miles a minute. Her son was still in there! Oh Ben! And Hiiro… Hold it. She had only just met him eleven hours ago, and she was worried about him? Of course she was worried about him! He was a person, someone she knew that was stuck in the building too. But if that was so, why wasn't she as worried about Quatre or Trowa or Wufei or Duo? What put Hiiro on the same level of worry as her own son? Oh, poor Ben!

"Serena? Did you hear me?" She tuned back into reality to find Hilde waving a hand in front of her. "Serena? We need to move Duo's car. Do you have the key?"

"Yeah, Hiiro gave it to me. And it's Hiiro's car, not Duo's. You want to drive?"

"Sure." And Hilde took the keys form Serena's limp grasp.

"Just don't kill us. I'd like to be here when Ben and Hiiro come out of that building in perfect condition." She smirked. They would be alright. They just had to be.

)(

"Get the kids in a single file line, now! The line up at the door and wait for me to come back and get you!" Trowa called to a teacher from the door of the classroom. She nodded to him and wondered what had happened to make them speed up the evacuation process. Nevertheless, she gathered the kids and lined them up as told.

Trowa raced from room to room on the second floor organizing the teachers and classes into lines. By now Quatre already had the first few classes walking out in perfect silence. They were slipping away form the school without being noticed due to the dark moonless night. Though there were some flares, they did not light up the school campus enough to make a difference. 

Now it was Trowa's floor's turn. As he gathered the teachers and their students in lines at their doors, he picked the first class to line up at the stairwell. Then he picked a class form the other side of the hall to go behind them, then another class from the first side. Something was not right; he could feel it. But he couldn't do anything about it. All he could do was pray Hiiro bought him and the other enough time to evacuate the school.

Duo was already lining up the kids on his floor too. Picking random classes to go one after another, he already had the entire hall filled classes and students. The unusual thing was the hallways were dead silent. The children had been warned beforehand to be quiet in the halls, but Duo had never expected children to do this well. It just went to prove, children really were smarter then they were given credit for. 

Looking down the stairwell Duo could see the last of Quatre's group and the first of Trowa's group exiting the school doors. They were officially one sixth of the way clear. And at the rate Trowa's groups were moving, they would be two sixths of the way clear in no time. Duo sighed and looked up the stairwell to see Wufei's groups all ready to go as well. But where was Hiiro?

Hiiro was at the moment struggling to pull himself up. He was hanging onto the railing if the stairs, dangling in a most unpleasant position. One giant man was trying to crush his fingers by stepping on them while he was holding on. Finally he was able to gather enough strength to swing one of his legs around, Hiiro kicked the big guy in the back of his knee. The man went down on his knees, giving Hiiro the chance he needed to haul himself to the floor, but there was no time for him to catch his breath. Before the big man could stand, Hiiro used the butt of his gun to knock the man out. With him out of the way, Hiiro moved on to the first classroom. 

What he found was not pretty. A hysterical teacher was being held at gunpoint by one of the gang members.The rest of the kids in the class were simply watching and staring at their teacher and mentor having her nervous breakdown. This was wonderful. These kids would probably be traumatized for life much like himself. No. He wouldn't let that happen. He wouldn't let this gang create another him. Sneaking up behind the teacher and the man holding the gun to her head, he once again just used the butt of his handgun to knock the man unconscious. He would have killed him, but there were children present. Telling the kids not to move and to stay very quiet, he left some instructions with the falling apart teacher, hoping she would be able to get her act together enough to line the kids up and keep them quiet. He did need to move on after all.As he was leaving, an idea struck him. Bending down to the children's level, he asked them in his nicest possible voice the question that had been burning in his mind for over an hour.

"Are any of you Benjamin Tsukino?" When all of the kids answered him no, he went father. "Do you know where he is?"

"He's in the room two doors over." Called out a mystery kid from the crowd.

"Thanks." With that, Hiiro walked out of the door to the next room. It seemed security had been tightened, but not enough to stop him. Now there were guards in every room when before they had only been in every other. Each class Hiiro liberated quickly lined up and the little kindergarteners followed their teacher out the door and down to the next floor into the mix with Wufei's floor's classes. 

Hiiro had saved the one room he wanted to go into the most last. Now as he kicked in the door, he looked around. All of the students sat quietly on the floor looking up at him. The teacher was sitting calmly on the floor at the head of the class. Then Hiiro saw it. Four men, three huge and one slightly smaller off to the right corner of the front of the room. The smaller one moved forward to speak.

"So you're the fool who ruined my plans. You've caused me a lot of trouble, you know that?" 

"Hn. What kind of a man holds a school hostage?" Hiiro asked him, trying to figure out a way to evacuate the room.

"I'm the kind of man who would hold a school hostage. Have a problem?" The man smirked and Hiiro snorted.

"You're not a man. A man is human. You haven't evolved that far yet." Hiiro responded in his icy monotone voice. 

"Touché sir. You are young for this job too. Hmm. Well? Are you going to kill me and liberate the classroom like you've done to the rest of the school, or are you just going to stand here all day?"

"What's the catch?" Hiiro asked him. Surely this man was not going to just let the class go?

"I'll tell you after the class is gone. Besides. They aren't gone yet, they won't have made it out of the school doors when I'm done with you."

"Hn." Hiiro grunted. Then he turned to the class and their teacher. "Line up single file and head down the stairs. Do not stop, and do not look down the halls. Another of my comrades will see that you get out safely." 

"Are you here to save us?" Asked a little boy with black hair and wild blue eyes. Hiiro glanced at him, then glanced back. The eyes… there was no doubt that this little boy was Ben, Serena's son.Hiiro's disposition slackened. This kid's eyes did the same thing as his mother's; they trapped him in their innocence and longing.

"Yes, I'm here to save you. Go on Ben, you mom's waiting for you." 

"Mom? You know my mom?" The little boy stared in awe. Hiiro just nodded. 

"Go on, and tell her I said I kept my promise."

"I promise I'll tell her. Thank you! Wait, what's your name?" 

"Hiiro. Hiiro Yui." Hiiro responded as Ben's teacher herded him out with the last of the children. Now it was just Hiiro and the four gang leaders.*


	9. He Came Out of the Ashes

Chapter Eight: He Came Out of the Ashes

Chapter Eight: He Came Out of the Ashes

*Serena and Hilde kept a sharp eye out when the kids and teachers finally began to pour out. Serena knew that because Ben was on the last floor he would probably be out later than some of the others. Still, she kept her eyes peeled for him. Now it was nearly eight thirty, Ben's bedtime. Serena only hoped he would be able to go to sleep at all tonight. Soon out of the hordes of children appeared a familiar face to both young women. 

"Quatre, hey Quatre!" Hilde called out to him. He spotted them and walked over to them.

"Hello Miss Serena, and, Miss Hilde! What are you doing here? Duo doesn't want you near any danger like this, he'll be so upset with you." 

"Oh Quatre, relax! I didn't know it was so big that you guys were here until I got here. I came to support Serena. It turns out she knew you guys and me separately and we didn't know it. Isn't that strange?" Hilde nearly laughed. Quatre, too, cracked a grin, but it was more of a plastered and fake grin.

"Quatre, how bad is it?" Serena finally worked up enough courage to ask.

"Miss Serena, everything is going to be alri… the truth? It's not good at all. This little gang of seniors was not little. Over thirty people, and almost none of them were younger then thirty years old. Before Hiiro could make it to the top floor, something happened, and he told us to just get the kids out as fast as possible."

"He's still in there too." Came a second male voice. Serena and Hilde turned to see Trowa, Wufei and Duo had joined them. 

"Hey Hilde babe, what are you doing here? I thought we agreed…"

"I'm sorry Duo, I know we did, but I came to support Serena. I knew she had a son here, so I dropped by to checkon her. It just so happened that you guys were here too." Hilde cut him off before he could yell at her.

"You know Serena?" Asked Duo.

"Yeah, we met at… work… and ever since then, we've been friends. She told m how she met you guys. Small world, huh?" Hilde, Duo, and Quatre chuckled. 

"So he's still in there? And the sixth floor?" Serena bugged Wufei for information.

"The entire sixth floor evacuated with the fifth. No civilian casualties."

"Momma? Momma!" came a tiny voice through the crowd. A little dark haired blur ran from three cops to hide behind Serena's legs. 

"Hey! Stop that kid! He can't be past the tape!" One of the cops yelled. Trowa stepped forward.

"The kid is with us. Leave." Was all he said.

"But… hey, wait, aren't you one of the guys that infiltrated the place? Wow! You guys did a great job! Ever consider becoming a full time SFPD cop?" the officer went on.

"No. Leave." It wasn't really the way Trowa said it, but more the glare that went with it. The cop backed away slowly, then turned and ran.

"Ben? Benjamin? Is it you? Oh baby! Oh my baby!" Serena swept her son up in a giant hug. 

"Momma! Momma! I was so scared! There were these three big men and this other really mean man. He threatened to hurt us. But then Mr. Hiiro came and saved us! He and the bad guys talked and the bad guy let us go but made Mr. Hiiro stay. Momma, Mr. Hiiro says he knows you! He knew my name! And he said to say to you he kept his promise. What promise Momma?" Ben spoke a million miles a minute. Then he stopped. "Momma?"

"Yes baby?" 

"Are you ok?" 

"Yes baby. I'm just glad your safe." And Serena continued to hug the living daylights out of her son, never wanting to let him go. She liked knowing where he was and that he was safe and warm and protected within her arms. Then she realized he must be starving. She had to let him go. "Ben, honey, did you want some pizza? It's cold but I thought you might be hungry…" 

"Yeah! Pizza!" The energetic boy shouted and dove into the box is mother was holding out to him. She laughed and crossed her arms over her chest as she shivered in the cold night air.

"I just love your son! He so sweet Serena!" Hilde gushed.

"He is cute Miss. Serena." Quatre added. 

"Where's his father?" Duo asked bluntly.

"His father?" Serena repeated as if in a trance. She did not want to remember him right now.

"Woman, he has a father, does he not?" Wufei pegged her.

"Oh, Ben has a father. A lying, cheating, good for nothing who left me when he found out I was pregnant father." She said bitterly.

"Duo you idiot! Did you have to bring Darien up?"

"Hilde! Don't say his name! I don't want to remember him!" Serena sighed and sat back down on the trunk of the car to watch her son eat his pizza. She loved him so much. Hiiro had kept his promise. Hiiro. His promise. Oh no! Hiiro! He was still in the building! And the bomb threat!

)(

"The children are gone. What did you want me for?" Hiiro said in his best monotone voice. 

"Simple. We wanted you to have a taste of what my men went through with you. Get him boys." Said the shorter man. The three giant men stepped forward, foaming at the mouth. Hiiro wasn't afraid, more disgusted. All of his other rivals had died with dignity, but if these men didn't wipe that foam off, they would die without a shred of dignity. 

When the first guy began his moves, Hiiro quickly took note of the gun in his opponent's hand and drew his own. In an old fashioned shoot-outthe townspeople would have cheered for Hiiro. He shot with such accuracy and speed that before his challenger had even fired his own shot he was dead.

Next Hiiro had to fight a slightly taller and thinner man. The man stomped towards Hiiro and landed a good, solid punch right across the cheek. Trying to ignore the surging pain, Hiiro punched the man right back, sending he reeling back and falling flat on the floor.

Hiiro's last victim was a heavier man who was built like a jock. He tried to out class Hiiro in a number of moves, but made a fatal error when he let anger get the best of him. Instead of using his brain to attack, he used his head and charged full force at Hiiro. Dropping low, Hiiro preformed a ground spin kick, which tripped his attacker and sent him into the floor face first. When he didn't move, Hiiro assumed he had been knocked out.

"Impressive. But you've neglected one thing." Came the voice of the last standing man.

"Hn." Hiiro grunted as if to say what.

"The bomb I've set to explode in exactly sixty seconds starting from now. You had better run, there's no way you could disarm it within that amount of time. I'll see you in hell, Hiiro Yui!" Hiiro just stared at the man, who now was laughing hysterically over nothing. He was right, there was no use in trying to disarm the bomb. Even if Hiiro could do it within the minute, he would still have to find the bomb, and that was going to take time he didn't have. Screw the man. Screw the bomb. He would go down, here and now, no qualms about it. 

But what about his 'friends'? What would they do if he went down? Surely they could replace him with another, couldn't they? After all, if everyone he got close to died, wouldn't the world be better off without him wreaking havoc on it's innocent inhabitants? And what about Serena? 'What about her?' nagged his conscience. He didn't even know if she had found her son, or if he had gotten out of the building alright. He could have been trampled in the stampede to get out of the building, or he could be lost on the streets and unable to find his mother. Serena would be so heartbroken. She trusted him, of all people him to bring her son out safely, and if he died, he would never know whether or not he had fulfilled his promise to her. She would cry. He couldn't bare the thought of her crying, or her son being scared and traumatized when his mother was so close by. She had trusted him, she had faith in him. No, it was not his time to die, not here, not now, not yet.

Hiiro set his mind on escaping before the bomb wet off, and began to fly down the stairs as fast as he could, without paying heed to the dead bodies and school paraphernalia that littered the halls. Just as he was coming down the last stairwell, the sixty seconds timer went off.

)(

At first no one knew what was happening. Serena felt as if it were a hazy dream, a nightmare reality that she was trapped in as she watched and experienced the events unfold. She saw the building flash bright orange and yellow, then saw it shudder and convulse as if it were being swayed by the Earth it's self. The next thing she knew she saw Duo grabbing Hilde and shoving her down behind the car, covering her with his body to protect her from the debris that was flying though the air. She vaguely remembered making a grab for her son, but seeing that Trowa already had him covered beside Hilde and Duo, she retracted her arms. She herself felt a pair of strong arms encircle her own waist and drag her down. Judging from the sexist comment he made, it was Wufei who had grabbed her and yanked her down to safety. Quatre too, was hiding behind the safety of the car as they all watched in awe as the building's top floor puffed out thick black smoke, papers, and other, more heavy debris. 

Finally, as the smoke began to thin out,the crowd could see the sixth floor of the building was on fire. The mob of people and parents that had once been buzzing with conversation and noise stood silently. The shocked policemen and women were able to begin shouting out orders. The fire trucks that had been sitting idle since the early morning when the events had first begun to unfold were now unrolling their hoses and attaching them to the fire hydrants up and down the block. Desperately trying to save the rest of building, the firefighters, police, and volunteers from the crowd alike all rallied to help hold the hoses in place as they were shot at the building. Airplanes and helicopters from the local news stations shown down special spotlights, allowing the firefighters to see what they were doing. And out of it all, one tiny group of six people stared in horror at the main doors to the school, hoping and praying that their comrade, friend, and fellow human would come out of them alive.

"Momma?" A frightened voice came from below Trowa's chest. He leaned back so the little boy whom he had been sheltering could crawl out. Wufei, too, dropped his hold around Serena's waist and let her sit up to embrace her crying son.

"Don't worry Ben honey. Shhh, everything will be alright. I promise, everything will be alright." Serena cooed, trying to calm her terrified son down. She rocked him back and forth, holding him tightly to her chest.

"But momma, Mr. Hiiro is still in there." He cried into her, burying his head deeper into her chest and crying harder.

"Mr. Hiiro is very strong Ben. I'm sure he's alright. And no one else was in there. It's going to be ok, everything is going to be ok." Her words did little comfort the rest of the group.

"Yui." One word was all Wufei needed to describe exactly how everyone felt. 

"That son of a bitch would not leave us He just wouldn't." Duo kept repeating. Hilde was trying to comfort him by letting him cry onto her shoulder, but he had almost lost it. She just held him tighter when he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled himself into her. 

"He's fine Duo. Remember, that guy is practically inhuman. He's immune to pain. He'll come out of this just fine, you'll see." Hilde kept telling him.

"Hilde's right. We need to stop worrying. If Hiiro saw us all now he would skin our hides for showing such emotion over him. He's come out of worse scrapes then this before." Trowa added to her comments. 

"Poor Hiiro. I should have never let him go off on his own in that building. This is all my fault." Quatre moaned, tears in his eyes.

"It was no one's fault Quatre." Serena spoke up. "You did what you felt needed to be done. The only person I would blame is the lunatic who tried to take Hiiro on in the first place. And he's gone, so blaming someone isn't going to do us any good."

"The woman speaks the truth. Winner, it is no one's fault but the bastard who tried to take over the school in the first place." Wufei said.

"Wufei, no cursing in front of my son." Serena told him quietly, still holding her son and stroking his shaking back.Wufei grumbled, but nodded. The group once again fell silent. 

Serena felt Ben pull away from her as he tried to sit up. She let him go and watched as he rubbed his tired eyes. How foolish of her! Ben must be so tired after the entire ordeal, and here she was, worrying over some man whom she had only just met! She felt ashamed that she had spent as much time worrying over some man's well being then her own son's. But he wasn't just some man now… no, he had saved her son's life, he had saved her only reason for living, her had restored her faith and hope in humanity. No, he wasn't just some man now, there was something more to him.

"Momma, look!" Ben cried out all of a sudden. Following his gaze, she turned to face the doors of the school. Coming down out of the ashes and smoke was a figure, Standing tall, the figure seemed to stop and stare out into the crowd, as if he were surveying the scene or trying to find someone in the crowd. Serena grabbed her son and hoisted him onto her hip. Holding her breath, she prayed. 

Policemen and firefighters ran to help the figure on the steps, but when they got to the bottom of the steps, they stopped and stood back. The silent dark figure began to step down the stairs, one at a time, as if to suspend his identity form the crowd. As he reached the sidewalk, he turned slightly to his left and headed in the direction of the SWAT team Gundam. 

As he drew closer to the group the lights lit up his face, the group let out a cheer and whoop. Duo was the first to run to the figure and pat him on the back. Quatre, Hilde, and Trowa raced up next, followed closely behind by Wufei. All of them were laughing and shouting as if there were no tomorrow. Ben squirmed in Serena's arms, so she put him down and watched as he made a beeline for the dark soot covered figure. As Ben met the figure, the man picked him up and held in tightly. Serena just covered her mouth with her hand and fought back tears of disbelief. It was him. It could only be him. 

)(

Hiiro was able to drag himself up off the cool marble floor of the lobby in the first floor of the school. He had had the wind knocked out of him. Looking around, it appeared as if most of the explosion had effected the top two floors. Only the shock wave had thrown him off of his feet and to the floor. After catching his breath, he stood to his tallest and tried to check himself over for any damage. He didn't think he had broken anything. Maybe a rib or two, but it wasn't so bad that he couldn't walk. Reaching up to his head, he found a small gash on his right temple. Well, time would heal that, and it wasn't bleeding badly, so he knew he didn't need stitches for it. He could feel he had a cut on his right shoulder blade as well, but it only stung for them moment. 

Hiiro felt an incredible heat swiftly overtake his senses and he knew the building was on fire. Forcing himself to begin walking, he made his way towards the door in the dark of the sweltering room. The smoke was beginning to make it's way down the stairs, and only just recovering from have the wind knocked out of him, Hiiro knew it wasn't healthy to inhale too much of the smoke. Not that it was healthy any other time either… Moving the heavy display case that had fallen and smashed it's self into the door, Hiiro reached for the handles. Ignoring the small cuts he received from miniature glass shards on the handles, he opened the doors and walked out as if in perfect condition.

He stoodon the stoop of the school for a few minutes, inhaling the fresh, cool night air and just taking in the atmosphere of the crime scene. He saw the parents reunited with their children. He saw firefighters and police finally doing their share of work. He saw the group of his comrades all staring directly at him, trying to tell who it was that had just walked out of the mangled school. When a few medics came up and tried to tell him to lay on a stretcher, he merely grunted and shook his head. Though the action made his head swim and eyes blurry, he would not rest. He had to complete his mission. 

Making his way towards his friends, he saw a tear streaked Duo run up to him and embrace him tightly.Did Duo really care that much abouthis well-being? He would have to be nicer to the braided idiot for a while. The others, too, all crowded around him and patted him on the back. He winced invisibly when someone hit the cut on his shoulder. Maybe it was worse than he had originally thought. Then out of the rush of his teammates a little voice called to him.

"Mr. Hiiro! Mr. Hiiro! You're back!" Hiiro looked down to see a young little boy. It was Ben. When Hiiro saw Ben's arms out stretch towards him, he acted on his instincts and reached out to pick the child up. Swing him around then holding him tightly, Hiiro forgot the pain of his wounds and looked for Serena. He found her standing behind his car with her hand over her mouth and a strange glint in her crystalline eyes. Forgetting his friends, he walked forward towards her, Ben still in his arms. 

Serena saw Hiiro begin to walk towards her and shuddered. He was looked fine, but she could see he had a deep gash on his left forearm, a small cut on his right temple, and probably many other little cuts up and down the rest of is body. Forget that! It was a miracle he was still alive! And in more than less than two pieces! He was even able to hold Ben. Truly, he was not someone an enemy of the law would want to reckon with. And here he was, saving her son. Before she knew it, he was right in front of her. 

"Here is your son Serena." He said in his same monotone voice. As if he had preformed a simple task, not an amazing life threatening feat.

"Thank you Hiiro, for both returning my son to me safely and restring my faith in the impossible being possible." She told him in her best imitation of his monotone voice. 

"Mission Complete." He finalized the moment. Silence fell among the group as they waited to see who would make the next move. Both Serena and Hiiro were gone, they had left on a one way ticket to the moon. 

As Hiiro stared into Serena's eyes, he saw that she truly meant her words. He had helped to restore her faith? He found that next to impossible to think that she had ever lost her faith to begin with. She was so animated, so full of life that he sometimes wondered if she was really much younger than she appeared to be. She was so pretty, so beautiful, so perfect…

She felt herself drowning in his deep, space-like eyes. They had seemed to hold an infinite amount of emptiness when she had first met him. However, no they were different. They still held the same bottomless quality, but now they held many different emotions. She could pick out confusion as well asdetermination, but there was something else she had never seen before. Not in anyone's eyes; not her parents, not Darien's, not Hilde's or her boss's or even her son's. No, it was different. It made her spine tingle with excitement.

"Earth to space cadets, spacecadets do you copy, over." Hilde said as she waved her hand in-between Serena and Hiiro's gaze. Both broke their gaze and looked away, a slight blush lightly gracing their respective faces. 

"Come on, it's been a long day. Serena, Hilde, we'll drop you off at home on our way out of here." Quatre persuaded them. With that, the group of five SWAT team members, one young mother and her son, and one girlfriend all packed up their belongings in Hiiro's car and got in to head for home. But each of them held the same question in their minds: after this mission, would life ever be the same again?*


	10. Slumber Catches the Perfect Soldier

Chapter Nine: Slumber Catches the Perfect Soldier

Chapter Nine: Slumber Catches the Perfect Soldier

*Serena looked over at Hiiro for the fifth time since they had officially left the crime scene. He was still holding Ben in his arms. It seemed as if Ben had taken to Hiiro almost instantly. The small boy had fallen asleep in Hiiro's arms before they had even gotten into the car. Deciding not to disturb either one of them, Serena had let them sit like that in the car. Now they were almost to her apartment and she was really not looking forward to having to wake Ben up and take him from Hiiro. She herself didn't want to leave Hiiro. 

She knew he had friends to take care of his wounds. She knew he had food at his own home. She knew he had a warm bed in his own home. She knew he had his own clothes in his own home. But she still didn't feel like leaving him would be like denying him something. She wanted him near her. She wanted to take care of him, to make sure he would be ok. But she was also very new and inexperienced with this protective feeling over a man. 

Darien had always seemed in control and forceful. He had seemed all-important and self-reliant. The only thing Darien had wanted her for was a good three to four one night stands and then to fly the coop with some other more beautiful, more experienced, and more exotic woman. Hiiro seemed in control most of the time. He seemed quiet, commanding, forceful and almost scary with his cold, harsh and emotionless manner. But when the day ended and he was left beaten and broken like now, he seemed like a child in need of some one to care for him. He already took care of so many other people, he deserved to have some one take care of him, at least this one night. And it wasn't like his friends would do a bad job. She just felt that she should be doing it, that for some reason she would be able to take better care of him than they at the moment.

Hiiro stared straight ahead. He could tell that every two minutes or so Serena was turning her head to watch him and Ben, who had fallen asleep in his arms. He liked the thought of her looking at him. He liked the thought that she remotely cared about him, even if it was only because her son was in his lap and not her own. Why did he like it?

Serena made him feel things, strange things. He couldn't place why she did or what it was exactly. It was more like a mix of things that slammed his senses. Well, that was ok with him. He thought. He wasn't sure. Serena could be a tempest, a shrew with a temper that made most people's blood boil. But he had also seen the softer, more gentle and caring side of her when she spoke about her son or when she had thanked him for saving her son. There was the inquisitive side of her when she had asked all the technical questions about infiltrating. And, of course, he had seen the seductive and mysterious side of her at the strip club the night before. What other personalities did this woman have that he had yet to see? She was like an onion, with peels and layers and degrees he had yet to see revealed. 

And now here he was, thinking about her. This was not good. She was burned into his mind, etched in with a branding iron. And he would probably never see her again after tonight. But he wanted to see her again. She probably thought differently, but he wanted more of her; and her son. He liked Ben, he was like a younger more hyper version of his mother, so full of hope and innocence. Serena acted tough. She acted strong and brave and on the surface appeared to be wise and more grown up. But Hiiro had seen the fear. He had seen the calm façade she wore when it was dropped. She was just as innocent as her son, maybe more so because she could chose between good and evil and seemed to always chose the good while her son still did not know how to chose. He stopped his introspection when Hilde, who was driving the car, stopped in front of an unfamiliar apartment building. He watched as Serena gathered her things. So this was her home. She lived here. With Ben. And no husband. He didn'twant to leave her. It was too soon. He wanted to stay and protect her. Why?

"Hilde, could you call my 'boss' and tell him…" Serena started.

"I'll take care of it Serena, just go. You and Ben need rest." Hilde answered her smiling. 

"Thanks." Serena shot her a beaming smile. No wonder Hilde was her best friend, she always so understanding. Turning to Hiiro, she wondered how she was going to do this. She really did not want to wake Ben up. But how else would she get him away form Hiiro's arms?

"I'll carry him up for you." Hiiro told her quietly. As much as she loved the idea, she had to object. Hiiro was the invalid, not her or her son. She would not make him climb ten flights of stairs in his condition. There was no way. 

"No way. You'll stay right here. You're hurt, and my apartment is up ten flights of stairs. I don't care how you feel, you are not carrying him up." She tried to sound stern, but she knew she had failed miserably when she heard her own voice falter and saw Hiiro was already standing and walking into her apartment building. The others in the car were laughing quietly at her for not seeing him leave. She blushed.

"Don't feel bad Miss. Serena. Hiiro is just stubborn. Let him have his way, arguing with him is impossible, none of us have ever won either." Quatre told her through his laughing.

"You guys are so funny." She said with her voice dripping with sarcasm. "But honestly, thanks. You guys have been awesome. I really hope to see you all again soon." She grinned.

"Don't worry Serena. With Hilde here as my girlfriend and you as her friend, I think we'll be seeing much more of you. Besides, I think the Perfect Soldier wouldn't like not seeing you again." Duo told her grinning. The group snickered and Serena became confused.

"Whose the Perfect Soldier?" She asked. They laughed again. 

"Don't worry babe. You'll get it some day, I promise." Duo told her laughing. 

"I'll wait here with the car. Send Hiiro down when you're done." Hilde told her.

"Sounds good." With that, Serena went to join Hiiro in the poorly lit lobby of her apartment building.

"Duo?" Hiiro asked when she met him.

"Yeah. Some thing about a Perfect Soldier. I didn't understand, but he said I'd get it some day. He's strange. Nice, but strange."She shrugged.

"Hn." Hiiro grunted. Inside he was smirking. So she didn't know his 'nickname' yet huh?

"Anyway, Hilde's going to wait for you. Are you sure you're up to carrying him up ten flights of stairs? I mean, I can do it, I don't want you to over exert yourself, you've had a pretty rough day." She asked him in a concerned tone.

"It's fine, let's go." He grunted and began to climb the stairs.

As they climbed they were silent. Hiiro was having some small problems breathing. It hurt to breath, even when he didn't moveit hurt him, right through to his very bones. He assumed he had been right when he had thought he had broken a few ribs. Of course, he couldn't stop now, he was in the middle of a job, and he never left anything unfinished. 

Serena saw Hiiro wince as they reached the ninth floor and knew she had been right about not wanting him to climb the stairs, especially carrying Ben. But he didn't say anything, and after that one small affair there were no others, so she said nothing as well. Finally they reached her apartment door. Fumbling for the key, she found it and locked the door. Opening it, she let Hiiro in and closed it behind him.

"Here, let me take him. Why don't you get yourself a glass of water or something? The…"

"Where's his room?" Hiiro simply asked her. He was going to see this through.

"Hiiro, let me just take him. I know you must have some kind of pain." She saw his eyes cloud over and empty all emotion as if they had just dumped a bucket of water out of them.She knew he was going to become stubborn. Well, better not to argue. 

"Room?" He repeated. He could barely think straight. Maybe she was right, maybe he was going to over stretch his boundaries… 

"This way." She led him into the first room on the right of a short hallway. He lay the sleeping boy on his bed and stood back. He watched from over her shoulder as Serena carefully removed his shoes and jeans. Then she put on his favorite pajama pants and looked at his shirt. Deciding she could remove it without waking him, she unbuttoned it and slipped it off. Then she replaced it with the matching top to the pants and lay him gently back down on the bed. Covering him and kissing his brow gently, she gave him one last loving look and then turned to leave the room. 

Hiiro watched as Serena redressed her son in his nightclothes and then covered him up. He wished he had had such a loving mother. Then he watched her kiss his brow and look at him with such love in her eyes. Her look only deepened his theory that she was just as innocent as her son. No one without innocence could pull off such a loving look without it looking fake and cheesy. But the look suited her. As he followed her out into the hall, a sharp pain over took him and he let out a groan. 

Serena heard Hiiro groan and switched her gaze from her son to him instantly. She caught his pained expression and saw him clutch his upper stomach and lower chest. Immediately she moved to help support him. She moved him farther down the hall towards the next door down and opened it. 

When the door opened, Hiiro saw a cream colored room with a white queen sized bed in the center of it. He allowed Serena to sit him down, but refused to lay down. That is, until another surge of pain shot through his body. He lay down and allowed Serena to lift his shirt. What she found was not pretty. Big black bruises were beginning to form all along his stomach. Hiiro too, saw the bruises and wondered where he had gotten them. Surely he hadn't landed that hard… the giant man! Before that giant man had made him dangle off the stair railing he had gotten in a few good, solid punches.He must have done the majority of the damage, and then the land on the floor probably made it worse. 

"Hiiro…" Serena breathed lightly. There was no way he would be able to walk down the ten flights of stairs to get back to the car. She looked at his face. It was tense. Not pained, but tense. He shuddered as another jolt of pain traveled through him and she almost panicked. The she saw his face relax. The rest of his body, too, relaxed and she knew he had blacked out.In a split second decision, she decided he would not be leaving her apartment tonight. Quickly making sure he was out off it, and then making sure Ben was still asleep, she left her apartment and flew down the ten flights of stairs.

Hilde saw her friend race down the stairs and run out to the car. She wondered where Hiiro was and why he wasn't with Serena. Somehow she had thought Hiiro would be more protective over Serena. 

"Hilde, Duo, Quatre, everyone, Hiiro can't come down." Serena breathed out.

"What do you mean?" Duo asked her.

"He, ah, well, he kind of…"

"Out with it woman!" Wufei said annoyed.

"He fainted." The car became silent again. Duo broke into a smile, then laughed.

"He fainted? No really, where is he?" He asked.

"On my bed, out cold." Serena's face was dead serious. Duo stopped laughing.

"You're serious." Trowa remarked.

"Hmm. He was standing, then he just sort of moaned. I moved him to the closest thing to sit on, which was my bed. I made him lay down and lifted his shirt. He has really dark bruises all up and down his stomach. It looks like someone just held him and continually punched him." 

"Do you think he'll be ok?" Quatre asked worriedly. 

"I'm not sure. But I do know he is not leaving my apartment tonight." Her face stood firm, and the rest of the group could see it would be useless in talking to her about it, her mind was made up. 

"Do you need any help with him?" Trowa asked her. 

"No, I don't think so. He's probably just exhausted, plus the bruises. I'll make sure he rests and eats. He'll be fine soon enough." 

"Serena, you sure?" Hilde asked her.

"Positive."

"Alright then, if you need us, just call. You have Hilde's number, and Hiiro can give you ours." Quatre told her.

"Right. We'll be fine. I'll see you all soon. Go home and sleep, you guys could use it too!" 

"Bye Serena!" They called as Hilde pulled the car away. Serena sighed, then climbed back up the stairs. Checking on her son and finding him still asleep, she entered her kitchen. Taking the biggest bowl she could find and a wash cloth, she filled it with warm water. Then she found a roll of cloth bandages from the year Ben had gone as a mummy for Halloween. After that, she looked in her medicine cabinet for antiseptic. Finding a large bottle, she entered her room and surveyed Hiiro. 

Before she could do anything for his wounds she needed to remove some of his clothes. Beginning with his shoes, she removed them, then his socks, and then his jeans. Though he was completely blacked out, she still blushed while she was folding them. Averting her gaze from his bare legs, she set upon removing his shirt. Pulling the forest green tank top over his head, she folded it too and was finally able to set to work. 

Starting from his feet and working up, she searched for any cuts and bruises. He only had two new cuts and a few new bruises. Nothing major. Moving up, she made her way to his bruises. Rubbing them gently with her wash cloth, she cleaned away the soot and grime that had accumulated on them from the explosion. Sitting him up, she began to wrap the bandages around his waist and up to his lower chest. As she finished with the bandages, she found a giant nasty cut on his shoulder. She shuddered. He had been through so much to save her son and the others in the building… 

When she was finally done cleaning and bandaging all of his cuts and bruises, she cleaned up her supplies. The only thing bugging her were his clothes. There was no way he could put them back on, they were too torn and dirty. Digging through her closet she scrounged up a bunch of Darien's old clothes. The sight of them brought tears to her eyes, but she held them back. They would do her no good now. Picking the largest shirt she could find out of the pile, she struggled to dress Hiiro in it. Because of all the trouble the shirt had caused her, she didn't want to risk jogging him awake while she was putting on a pair of pants, so she simply covered him with her covers and looked at him.

He seemed to shrink under the covers. His peaceful face was completely relaxed. She liked this new look, he was so helpless and child-like. Despite knowing the fact that he had killed, not just once, but many times, she was blown away by the sincere innocence he revealed while he slept. She grinned slightly and leaned over to kiss his forehead before she closed the door behind her and let him sleep. 

Entering her small living room, she sat down on her couch and sighed. It had been such a long and harrowing day she didn't know what to think. Checking the clock, the digits read one thirty. It had taken them over three hours to get from the school past all of the crowd and the security all the way to her apartment building. And then, with Hiiro passing out and worry over both him and Ben… she was so tired. Just laying down for a minute, she fell asleep.*


	11. Healing the Psyche

Chapter Ten: Healing the Psyche Victoria J. Draeger Normal Victoria J. Draeger 1 1 2001-10-21T07:44:00Z 2001-10-21T07:45:00Z 7 3244 13953 Zero One Ink. 263 79 22714 9.2511 0 0 

Chapter Ten: Healing the Psyche 

*Everything was blurry and bright, very bright. But it was warm. And soft, and smelled like fresh roses and sunlight. Cracking his eyes to look around, Hiiro tried to remember where he was. He faintly remembered feeling extreme pain, and Serena's worried eyes looking into his own as she helped him lay down on her bed. On her bed… So he was still in her apartment. That explained why he couldn't place where he was, he had never seen it in the light of day. Turning his head to search the room, he saw squinted when his eyes found the source of light that had awoken him. 

Open windows let a small breeze drift throughout the room and stir up the shear white curtains covering it. The bright sunlight streamed through and beams danced upon the bed he lay on. A small white table next to him displayed a clock that told him it was nearly ten thirty. He had over slept for once in his life, and over slept a lot. Sitting up, he winced in pain. He had almost forgotten about the pain. But that was easy to do, considering the conditions he was under. 

This room was so perfect, so ideal. It was as if it were out of a magazine or some famous person's home. The tan walls gave it a warm appearance, and while the theme seemed to be one of the sun and moon, the room held a certain down to earth quality about it. This was such a warm room- it fit Serena perfectly. He could just picture her waking up in her white bed with the sun highlighting her features just so… Stop! He needed to stop this nonsense thinking. It was going to push him over the edge. He was a soldier, a person whose soul purpose in life was to complete his missions. He did not have time for the foolish feelings that other people seemed so dependent upon. He couldn't afford to be emotionally unstable like the rest of this Godforsaken world. But he was having a hard time keeping that ideal wish with Serena around… 

Checking his wounds, he found they had been thoroughly cleaned and bandaged. She must have done that after he had passed out, because otherwise he would remember her every touch. He was doing it again. He stood and tested his mobility. It was nowhere near where it normally was. He was stiff and it hurt to move much. Still, he could function properly for normal everyday tasks. Spying the pants on the chair next to the bed, he unfolded them and looked at them. They were simple lay around black sweat pants, both comfortable to the touch and lose around his waist where his bruises begun. Changing the shirt he was wearing to a sweatshirt she had put out for him, he saw she had put some thought into what he would and would not be able to wear. She was sweet to have… no. Dressed, he wanted to express his thanks for her help and leave. It was unhealthy for him to stay any longer, or else he might never want to leave.

Opening the door, a barrage of warmth and acceptance swept over him. Memorizing the layout of her apartment, he walked down the hallway, past where Ben's bedroom was and poked his head inside. Ben was no longer in his bed, and his pajamas were strewn about the floor carelessly. Closing the door behind him, Hiiro kept walking toward the end of the hall until it opened into a larger living area. He found Ben sitting on the floor laughing hysterically at some cartoon he was watching. It was good to know that the events of the day before hadn't effected him too much.

"Mr. Hiiro! When did you come?" Ben asked him excitedly when he noticed the dark figure standing and watching him. What was Hiiro supposed to say, that he had stayed the night? What impressions would that leave the child with?

"I got here recently." Hiiro felt he should add more when he saw the child draw back in slight fear at the cool tone of his voice. "Did you sleep well?" 

"Oh yes! Momma said you put me in bed and she put my dinosaur pajamas on and I slept so late! Momma said I've never slept so much never ever never." The little boy went on. Hiiro couldn't help but become enthralled with the young boy's liveliness and happiness. In fact, Hiiro almost smiled. Almost.

"I'm hungry. Are you going to eat breakfast with us? Momma said you might…"

"Is your mother here?" Hiiro asked him suddenly.

"Momma went to make breakfast. I like waffles. She makes them with chocolate chips for me! They're yummy! Momma's a good cooker." He jumped up and down excitedly rubbing his stomach and licking his lips the whole time. Then he grabbed Hiiro's hand and pulled him towards the kitchen. 

Hiiro allowed himself to be dragged to the kitchen by the small boy. He couldn't explain why, but he rather enjoyed the playfulness of the younger boy. It was a version of himself that he had never allowed to escape, so he liked seeing other children that were able to be happy and carefree. As he brought his head up and looked at the scene in the 'kitchen', he lost all control of thought and his heart stopped. 

Serena was standing over the cabinet trying to reach a plate that he could see was too high for her. Going barefoot and wearing a simple pair of short, stone washed jean shorts and an incredibly tiny bright red tank top. Her long blonde hair dripped down off her shoulders in waves and easily reached the hollow of her back, even though it was pulled into a higher ponytail and slightly curled. He couldn't see her face yet, but he didn't need to to know she was so deep in thought that she didn't notice him or Ben. 

"Momma." Ben called to her.

"Hmm sweetie?" She asked without turning form her task. 

"Momma, are you done with breakfast? I'm hungry." 

"I'm sorry baby. It's almost done. Did you want to help momma by getting the napkins?" She told him in a sweet, if not just a little bit hoarse voice.

"OK! And momma, Mr. Hiiro came back!" Ben cried.

"Mr. Hiiro came back. Mr. Hiiro came back. Mr. Hiiro came bac… He what? Ahh!" Serena hadn't really been paying attention to what her son had been saying, so it didn't process until she had repeated it to herself several times. When she finally did comprehend what Ben had said, she flipped and slipped off of the chair she had been standing on while trying to reach a certain plate. She felt herself begin to fall and knew the ground was coming, and fast.

Unexpectedly she felt two welcoming, sturdy arms catch her. Opening her eyes, she looked up to see Hiiro's smirking grin. What exactly did he think he was doing? He was the one who needed help, and yet here was catching her from injuring herself. But his face made up for it. He was smirking. That was rare as far as she knew. No. She would not do this to herself. After she had gotten up that morning she had decided that it would never happen. He was an enforcer of the law. She was a single mother with two jobs, one of which was exotic dancing. She had been crazy to even think along those lines the night before. No, no matter how much she liked him or he liked her, she would never allow herself to be hurt again. She would not repeat her time with Darien. She had all she needed already: her son and her jobs. Those were the only things that mattered, and she wasn't ready to push them aside to begin a love life. But she would find someway to thank Hiiro for all he had done for her, and if that meant helping him and taking care of him, then she would do it eagerly.

"Hiiro!" Somehow that did not come out as she had planned it to. 

"You should have just asked for help." He said.

"But you should be in bed! You're hurt! And besides, what if no one was here to help me? There rarely is. This is my home, I should be able to get to everything inside of it." She said in an indicial manner. She hoped he would pick up the satire in her voice and take the hint. 

"Hn." He was still smirking, a given sign that he understood her. Oh, he understood her alright. And he was going to defy her anyway. In a strange way, she liked his way of running the show. It was new and different from anyone else she had ever met. No! Stop! She couldn't do this to herself. But she wanted to so badly…

"Really. Hiiro, you were…" She stopped mid sentence. He paused smirking too, wondering why. 

"Ben, honey, why don't you go watch some more TV? I'll have breakfast done really soon. Then you can eat as many waffles as you want."

"Ok Momma, but remember, you promised chocolate chip waffles!" Ben called as he ran back to watching Marvin the Martian and Bugs Bunny face off.

"Hiiro why don't you follow me? We'll go somewhere little ears can't hear us." She watched as he thought it over and nodded in consent. She led him around the back of the living room, behind Ben so he couldn't see them, and into her bedroom. Shutting the door behind her, she turned and leaned against it, trying to collect both her breath and her thoughts.

"Hiiro, you're injured. Badly. Last night it was so bad you fainted right here. I had to go down the stairs and tell Hilde to leave you here because I was scared to have you moved. You have three major scratches, one on your shoulder, one on your head, and one on your left arm. Your ribs were so black and blue that I couldn't find one pink spot on your entire stomach. I'm worried. You shouldn't be up and walking, and especially not catching falling klutzes like me. I want you in bed, where you can heal and I can take care of you." She finished and took a deep breath, hoping he would pay attention and comply with her wishes.

As Hiiro listened to her, he became both more depressed and happier at the same time. So she was worried about him. She cared. But the tone of her voice was so much colder than it had been yesterday and last night. Maybe she really only cared about his health because he had saved her son. But what made him really depressed was the fact that no matter whether she liked him or not, he couldn't like her. He had done his part, he had completed his mission. But then, why did visions of her face still haunt his mind? Why did her voice still ring in his ears? Or the places she had touched him still tingle? 

"I am fine." He told her, hoping she would believe him.

"I know you're lying."

"How?"

"I…I… I don't know." Her breath fell under and her words were nearly in a whisper. "Why are you making this so difficult? I know you're hurt. Let me help you. Please?" Her voice cracked and he could see the watery depths of her eyes shimmering with un-spilled tears. How was he supposed to respond to this? She looked so engaging, pure and concerned that he felt trapped. He could never deny anything to her. 

"If I lay down, how long until I may leave?" He asked her. No matter how he felt, work still came first. She gave a short laugh through her tearing eyes. Before she could let the tears drop, she spun around and wiped them away. 

"You can leave as soon as tomorrow morning if you lay back down now." She told him. 

"Then I will lie down. If I get a chocolate chip waffle." He said dead seriously. Serena heard his ultimatum and covered her mouth trying to stifle her giggle. She couldn't let him know she thought he was funny, that she cared for him. But she couldn't help it. She had never been good at hiding her true feelings from people. And Hiiro's eyes seemed to be burning holes in her back at the moment. She just could contain her laughter. Breaking out, she laughed long and hard. 

Soon another resonant and substantial laugh joined her own. Hiiro Yui was laughing! With her! She looked at him through her laughing and studied his face. For the first time since she had met him his chiseled features held mirth and pure contentment. His eyes sparkled and shone with a degree she had never seen before. It made shivers tingle up her spine knowing he only laughed with her. Maybe, for once, it would be worth it to drop her walls and let him in… but was she willing to let herself get hurt again? She wasn't so sure anymore. Nothing was sure for her anymore.

Hiiro could hardly believe he was laughing. But he was. And it felt good. Really good. He was glad he had decided to let is Perfect Soldier persona slip for a few precious moments so he could finally begin to milk life for all it was worth like he should have been everyday since he was born. Following his promise to Serena, pulled the sweatshirt over his head and pulled the covers of her bed back. Getting in the bed, he caught her blushing while folding the sweater he had placed on the chair. So she felt some attraction to him… at least that much was apparent. Soon he was sitting up in the bed and she was covering him with the covers. 

"Remember those waffles. With the chocolate chips. No chips, no stay. Understood?" He smirked broadly while he said this. She apparently caught on to the joke.

"Roger that Admiral Yui. Agent Serena over and out." She let a lose salute fly and grinned broadly. Then she left the room and closed the door behind her. After the door closed, he too, for the first time in a very long time, grinned a true smile.

)(

"Hiiro? Are you awake?" She poked her head into her room and quietly asked for him.

"It's not my bedtime yet." He responded half smirking.

"Ha ha. You're so funny. No, seriously though, I forgot to tell you, even though I got the day off from work, I couldn't get the night job off. I'm sure you know what 'job' I'm speaking of?"

"You're dancing."

"Hmm. Well, I need to get going or I won't be there in time to get ready. Ben's usual babysitter is coming, but she doesn't know you're here."

"Why don't you leave Ben with me? I can watch him? I've been doing that all day anyway…" Hiiro told her. And it was true too. He and Ben had played cards, watched a soccer game, played GI Jones (well, Hiiro had tried to play, but his imagination needed work, so Ben had spent of most the 'game' teaching Hiiro how to 'imagine'). They had even played a few board games. 

"I would, but you need to rest, and besides, you can't get out of that bed, you promised me. If Ben wants something to drink, you can't get to the cups."

"I'm not mortally wounded. I could manage." Hiiro argued.

"I couldn't care less if you were mortally wounded or not. The point is, you promised to stay in the bed. In. And I will not be letting you break that promise. Kelly is a really nice girl. Just don't hold her at gunpoint like you did to me earlier today. I don't think she would be able to take it." Serena almost laughed at Hiiro's absolute insistence at wanting to take care of Ben. She was glad he liked Ben, but didn't want Ben to get too attached. It was inevitable that Hiiro would have to leave them, and she didn't want him to go through a depression of sorts because he missed Hiiro too much. 

"Fine. The name is Kelly?" Hiiro gave in sighing. He was a little tired…

"Yes. She's only thirteen, so she's younger than me." 

"Huh?" That caught Hiiro's attention. How old was Serena?

"I said she's thirteen." Serena repeated. Maybe h had hit his head harder than she thought… he had never had problems remembering detail before.

"I meant your comment of her being younger than you." Hiiro told her clearing up her misconceptions.

"Oh. Well, I had Ben when I was fifteen, and he's four." She answered.

"You're only nineteen?" Hiiro asked her.

"Hmm. Well? Do I look older? Oh no! Do I have wrinkles?" She gasped in mock fear. 

"Funny." He mocked her saying.

"Hey!" She stuck her tongue out at him.

"Now you look like you're ten. Is that the age you were going for?" He threw out.

"No." She pretended to pout. "Well, fine then. How old are you Mr. Hiiro Yui? I'm betting you're… twenty-four."

"Twenty-two." He smirked.

"I was closer than you were to my real age." She said.

"I didn't guess your age. I thought you were my age, twenty-two. Most of the time you act older. Today must an exception." 

"That was a low blow!" She exclaimed.

"And? What are you going to do about it?" He was grinning and almost ready to break out laughing.

"Well, I just might…"

"Ms. Serena?" a strange voice echoed through the room.

"Kelly's here." Serena breathed. Only now did she realize how close she was to Hiiro. Sometime during their mock fight he had from the bed to standing over her and propping himself up by leaning against the wall with his hands. She found herself below him sitting on the chair next to her bed. His face was at her level, and she could feel his warm breath on her face. She licked her lips.

Hiiro saw her lick her lips and it dawned on him how close they were. He liked these positions very much. They put him at an advantage and narrowed her escape path to next to nothing. That, and he was so close to her. He could smell her hair and her fresh soap and roses smell. She smelled sweet. Gods, what was he thinking?

"Ms. Serena?" The voice came again, breaking the intricate spell that had held the two lonely young man and woman within it's grip. 

"In here Kelly." Serena answered when she found her voice. Hiiro pushed himself off the wall and sat back down on the bed. Serena made him lay down and was covering him when Kelly walked into the room.

"Oh, I'm sorry Ms. Serena. I didn't know you had company. Do you still need me tonight?" The teen girl blushed at the two people in the room. What were they doing? It looked odd enough…

"Yes, I'm sorry Kelly. This is Hiiro Yui. He's a friend of mine who gravely injured himself. I'm just watching him to make sure he doesn't try anything foolish while he rests and heals."

"Oh. Gotcha." Kelly took note of the bandages and decided that she knew Serena well enough to trust she was telling the truth. "so, do you still need me?" 

"Yes. Hiiro isn't allowed up. And if he does sit up, push him straight back down." Serena turned and stuck his tongue out at Hiiro. Then she turned around completely composed and business-like. Hiiro still didn't understand how she could switch personalities so quickly. 

"Gotcha Ms. Serena. You'd better leave, or you'll be late." Serena looked at her watch.

"Stars, you're right! By Hiiro, no guns and be good." She petted his head slightly.

"Yes Agent Serena." He mocked her.

"Watch it Yui. You know the rest of the drill Kelly. Just ignore Hiiro as if he weren't here. Bye!" And she left the room to find Ben to say goodnight.*


	12. Now You Come Crawling Back?

Chapter Eleven: Now You Come Crawling Back Victoria J. Draeger Normal Victoria J. Draeger 1 1904-01-13T06:34:00Z 1904-01-13T06:34:00Z 6 2653 11410 Zero One Ink. 203 68 18574 9.2511 0 0 

Chapter Eleven: Now You Come Crawling Back?

*As she ran into the building, she knew she was going to be late. As fast as she possibly could, she threw on her dress and shoes and sat at her vanity to do her makeup.

"So Goddess, how's your son?" Called out a high and soft-pitched voice. She spun her head briefly to give a half smile to the owner of the voice.

"He's doing fine, thanks Connie. He just had a scare. That's all." And for the first time in a long time, Serena truly meant it. Her son was going to be alright. Everything really would come out alright in the end. 

"So everything came out alright Selene?" Jake asked her while watching the performance on stage. He was, after all, the stage manager, and he did have to inspect the dancers to make sure they preformed their peek level at all times. Applying the last touches of glitter to her cheekbones and eyes, she heard him telling her she was on. 

"Yeah Jake, everything came out alright." She told him.

"And who was that young man we saw you speaking to on television? The one that came out of the building and picked Ben up?" Jake asked her. Serena sighed. She knew the teasing would set in sooner or later. 

"That was a friend of mine, and that's all he was. He was the leader of the team that infiltrated the building." She told them bluntly, almost wishing she was saying he was her boyfriend in place of her friend. No. She couldn't do this to herself. Not again, not here and now. But it felt almost natural…

"So then he's available? Can I have his digits? He was way too hot to let go!" Connie squealed.

"No!" Serena cried out. Then she blushed and shied back. What had gotten into her? She had never been this protective over Darien. Ever. But why? If she didn't want to get involved with Hiiro, why wouldn't she let Connie? Connie was nice enough.

"So if I can't have him, does that mean you really like him and are in denial? And what's his name anyway?" Connie asked her. Serena never became emotional over any man besides Darien, so this guy must be something special to have thrown her so off- balance. 

"Hiiro. Hiiro Yui. And I…" Why fight it? It was only going to catch up to her sooner or later anyway. "I might like him. Oh I don't know. What I do know is that I do not want a repeat of Darien, and if that means no Hiiro, then I will give him up no questions asked. Then you can have him Connie." The redheaded Connie smiled. Serena smiled too. It as going to be a better night then she had previously imagined.

"Ok, girly chat time is over. Selene, you're on!" Jake called to her.

Serena shook her head slightly and grinned. His eyes were still glued to the dancer on the stage. Some things would never change. She knew he was supposed to watch all of the dancers, but knowing he was watching her made her nervous. He had noticed it her second night and confronted her. From then on, he had promised only to briefly glance at her dancing to make sure she was still breathing. He was very understanding, and for that she was glad. Standing and pulling on her gloves, she breathed deeply, trying to dispel the same rotten feeling that always hit her before she preformed. 

Shaking it off, she heard the music introduction begin and to step on the stage with her most seductive smile pasted on her face. Beginning her usual routine she looked out into the crowd. Huge mistake. There, in the front row of the stage seating, was Darien Mamoru Chiba, the greatest scumbag on the face of the Earth. 

)(

"Mr. Hiiro, why are you in bed?" Ben asked the same question for the fifth time in the hour. Hiiro had to smirk. So far he had avoided the boy's persistent question, yet this time he had run out of ideas. 

"I'm in bed because I promised your mother I would stay in it." He told him, trying as hard as possible to hide his smile.

"But why? Momma only makes me stay in bed when I'm sick. Are you sick Mr. Hiiro?" Ben asked, piercing blue eyes questioning Hiiro's prussian ones. 

"I am a little sick. I got hurt in your school, so your mother wants to make sure I get better fast." He tried to sound menacing, but the little boy laughed. Why had he even bothered trying?

"Where did you get your ouch? I gots a ouch on my knee last yesterday and momma fixed it up with a band-aid. Where's your band-aid?" Ben was just full of questions. But an inquisitive four year old was better than one without any feelings at all. Hiiro admired the child for having such stamina. 

"My band-aid is right here." Hiiro lifted his shirt to reveal the white linen bandages that wrapped his chest from the middle all the way down to his stomach. It pained him to look at the damage he had caused to his body, but at the same time made him feel good. The pain let him know he was still living. And besides, pain was just weakness leaving the body. He, the Perfect Soldier, certainly needed no weakness.

"Did momma kiss it all better? Momma kissed my knee all better! Now it only hurts in water!" Hiiro's eyes went wide. Wasn't this kid just slightly too young to think about kissing? Then he took the word into context and sighed. Apparently, some mothers 'kissed' away their children's pain. He remembered Hilde kissing Duo's sprained wrist in much the same fashion. Wait, how come Serena hadn't kissed his pain? Bad trail of thought… bad, bad Hiiro! He maimed himself for nearly letting his emotions get the better of him. This girl, woman, Serena was getting the best of him, even while she wasn't anywhere near him. This could be a dangerous downfall if he pursued it…

"Ben? Hiiro? Is everything ok in there?" Kelly's voice echoed through the hall. Hiiro had almost forgotten she was there. He had told her he could watch Ben while she did her homework, and she had agreed and left them alone. Now she popped her curly head of hair into the room and surveyed the scene. On the bed was a slightly red tinged Hiiro and a very giggly little boy. 

"So what's going on in here gentlemen?" She asked Ben, trying to be very proper.

"Hiiro showed me his ouch. It's big!" Ben stood up on the bed and made a flying leap for the girl's arms. She caught hi and held him, propping him on her hip. 

"Big? Well, your mom did say he was hurt pretty badly… how bad is it Mr. Yui?" She addressed Hiiro. He had slightly unnerved her with his glares and threats, so she had decided to stick with being more formal with him.

Hiiro shrugged. It didn't seem to feel that bad to him, but he had noticed that other people often thought what looked bad felt ten times worse. He glared at the girl slightly, then decided she was safe. Lifting his shirt, he revealed his bandages once more.

"Oh my…" Kelly's breath dropped the rest of her sentence into an unrecognizable whisper. "That's horrible!" Just as Hiiro had predicted. "How did you get it Mr. Yui?" She asked him.

"In the school." He answered her curtly.

"You mean you were in there yesterday? Are you a teacher?" She asked him incredulously. 

"Mr. Hiiro isn't a teacher! He saved us! Mr. Hiiro is a SCAT man, right Mr. Hiiro?" Ben tried to say SWAT team, but failed to get the correct letters. Hiiro practically chocked, although he never flinched physically, and Kelly balked with laughter. 

"What he means is, I'm part of the SWAT team Gundam. We were the ones who infiltrated the school yesterday and took out the terrorists." He hadn't wanted to give away so much information to such a young girl, but he didn't want to lose face either. Besides, if worse came to worse, he could easily sneak into her apartment and kill her, it wasn't like he didn't know where she lived.

"Oh! You're the guy that walked out after the building exploded! I thought you were familiar! And I thought I recognized Ms. Serena, but I wasn't sure if it was her. So it was you two. Huh. What a funny world." The teen fell silent, and Hiiro wondered how many television stations had broadcast him walking out of the building and talking with Serena. Well, he couldn't think about it now.

"Well, now I know why you're hurt. Hey, Ben, you ready to go to bed?" She asked the small boy

"No! I'm not even sleepy." As he spoke, the little boy yawned and crinkled his nose. He sure was cute when he was tired.

"I'll bet. Well, I'll tell you a story if you get ready for bed, so you better hurry up!" The bubbly teen told the little boy.

"Yeah! Dino P.J.'s and a bedtime story! Let's go!" The little boy began to follow the older girl out of the room, then stopped. She too, stopped wondering what he was doing. Ben turned and ran towards the bed. Jumping up, Hiiro was able to catch him without too much effort.

"I almost forgot. G'night Mr. Hiiro, and thank you!" The little boy kissed Hiiro on his cheek, then squirmed out of his grasp and back to Kelly's. For a moment Hiiro was speechless. No one had ever said good night to him, much less with a kiss. He felt… cozy. Snuggling deep under his own covers, he himself yawned. He was getting lazy, yawning at eight thirty. But for some odd reason, he didn't feel lazy, he felt more alive than ever. What could he possibly feel next?

)(

The old proverb 'the show must go on' ran through one ear and out the other. Serena Usagi Tsukino was completely frozen with fear. Her eyes went wide and her mouth popped open to form a round 'o'. He was sitting there, watching her, smirking and waiting. And watching. With those cold, aloof, knowing eyes. 

"Psst! Selene! Move it! There's a crowd out there!" Jake whispered to her from the curtain. At least his voice shook her from her petrified state. Glancing around once more, she did notice she was beginning to get booed. Well, this was her chance. Her chance to show Darien Mamoru Chiba just what he had missed out on when he walked out on her four years ago. She began to sway.

Seductively, she swayed her hips back and forth. Going painstakingly slowly, she grabbed the pole on the left side of the stage and swung around it. Ripping her skirt, she received whistles and hooting. He almost always blushed at some of the things that were suggested, but tonight she simply smirked and wagged her finger back and forth as if to say 'no no bad boys' to the crowd of dirty and perverted men. This performance was for another.

Untying her drawstring bodice, she slipped it down her creamy arms to reveal her practically non-existent black lace bra. She tossed it into the crowd, directly in Darien's range. Now she had nothing but her underwear on, and where as normally she would begin picking up the tips thrown, she kept her dirty dancing going. 

Grabbing the pole on the right side of the stage, she hoisted herself all the way to the top, then licked it all the way down, slowly moving and shaking her butt, hips, and thighs to the rhythm of the music. She dipped low over the stage and bushed her hair across the tables. As sweetly as she possibly could she smiled and her eyes gleamed.

"Hello Dare-baby. Like what you see? Too bad." It was worth it. She thought he was going to have a coronary. His face went pale, his eyes widened and rolled back into his skull. She could see his grip on the edge of the table make his knuckles go white, and a rage filled blush crossed his deathly white face. Oh yes, it was most definitely worth it. 

Now she began to collect her tips like normal, stuffing them into her bra and panties as slowly and impishly as possible. Blowing one final kiss to the aroused and rowdy crowd, she made sure to give one final wink to Darien. 

"Wow! Hey Selene, that was new! It was good too, the crowd loves you!" Connie squealed as she walked to her dressing room.

"Good. Darien was in that crowd." She smirked.

"You mean the asshole that knocked you up and left you high and dry?" Connie said in a laughing tone.

"The very same." 

"Good going. He'll hate himself for leaving you."

"Well, when my bodice landed on his head, I think I did." She smirked at the memory. Good times, good times.

"You mean that was him? Damn, he sure as hell is hot Selene You do have good taste in men, I'll give you that!" 

"I'd like to think so." Both girls laughed as Serena stepped behind a folding wall to change.

"Selene, you have a visitor. He knew your real name, so I figured he'd be alright." Jake poked his head in the dressing room. A figure pushed past him and stood looking around the room.

"I don't see her! Where the hell is she?" The figure cried.

"Chill out Darien, I'm right here. No need to go ballistic." Serena told him as she stepped out from behind the folding wall, now in her short shorts and red tank top again. All her heavy silver makeup had been removed, and her hair was up in a ponytail. 

"Se…Serena?" 'Oh sure, he barges in yelling, and now he has nothing to say.' She thought.

"Yes Darien, it's me. Did you think I would go back home? With no money? Pregnant? And then beg my parents to forgive me and take care of me again? Sorry Darien, things don't work that way." He told him, checking her appearance in the vanity's mirror.

"No, but I never expected to see you in a strip club either." He smirked, thinking he was going to gain the upper hand in the argument. Boy was he in for it.

"Neither did I, but a mother will do strange things to support herself and her son." Her face was grim, but her eyes held a fighting spark to them.

"A son? You mean…"

"No, I didn't give him up. And if you really want to know the truth, the thought never crossed my mind. Ben and I are happy, we don't need a creep like you screwing up our lifestyle now." Se grabbed her purse, fully intending to just leave him. He, obviously, had other plans when he grabbed her wrist and held it tight.

"I do believe I have a right to see my own son Serena." He growled. 

"Oh, touchy! You gave up any rights you had with him when you walked out on me when I was pregnant. Let go." She struggled to free herself.

"Doesn't matter. I'm here now, and I want to see him." She saw his eyes were red with rage. Even now, he was a very impressive man… especially with him towering over her, gripping her poor arm like no tomorrow.

"No." She stayed firm.

"Now. Where is he?"

" You don't have…"

"I swear to God Serena, if I don't see my son, I'm going to take you to court and sue you for every goddamned cent you own, not to mention take him away from you." Darien threatened. How could she compete with that? If he took her to court, she couldn't afford a lawyer. She'd lose, miserably, and never see her son again. Blinking away hot tears, she sighed in submission.

"Fine."

"I want to see him now." Darien screamed at her.

"He's at home with a sitter." She told him, hoping that would deter him a little longer.

"I don't care. Take me to your apartment, now." She had no choice. Nodding slightly, she gave a quick look to Connie, who was cowering in the corner, and then tore her hand out of his grasp and walked out the door, Darien close on her heels.*


	13. The Threat of Law Goes Two Ways

Chapter Twelve: Threat of Law goes Two Ways Victoria J. Draeger Normal Victoria J. Draeger 1 1904-01-13T06:35:00Z 1904-01-13T06:35:00Z 6 2671 11486 Zero One Ink. 205 69 18698 9.2511 0 0 

Chapter Twelve: Threat of Law goes Two Ways

*She fumbled with the lock on her apartment door. She could hear him growling behind her, and it only made her more nervous. What would he do once inside her apartment? She hoped he wouldn't disturb Ben. It would be so cruel to tell him his father was home, then to have him leave again. And the worst part was, if everything didn't go his way, Darien would fix it so she never saw Ben again. What had she ever seen in him?

"Hurry up." He snarled.

"There, it's open. Be quiet, you don't want to wake him." He grunted, and she wasn't sure if that meant yes, no, or that he didn't care.

"Nice dump." He told her smirking.

"I'd like to think so." She retorted. "Kelly?" 

"Oh, hello Ms. Tsukino! I just got Ben to sleep, so he should be gone until morning. He was a perfect angel, as always. He and Hii…" the girl trailed off when she noticed the look in Serena's eye. She knew when she was being told through a glance to watch what she said. 

"Who's that?" Darien pointed towards Kelly. It made the younger teen want to run and hide.

"This is my neighbor's daughter, Kelly. She baby sits for Ben. Kelly, this is Ben's father, Darien Chiba." Serena stressed the word father in hopes the younger teen would pick it up. She did indeed, for her eyes widened a degree and she nodded in acknowledgement.

"Nice to meet you Mr. Chiba. Ms. Serena, I have to be going. You can pay me later. Bye!" The girl grabbed her backpack and hightailed it out of the apartment.

"Where is he?" Darien barked, not giving Serena a chance to respond to Kelly. 

"Right in here. Be quiet now." Serena lead him into the hallway and opened Ben's bedroom door. Stepping lightly, she opened the door wider for Darien. What else could she do? He wasn't giving her many choices. He barged in and then stopped. Kneeling down at the side of the bed, he breathed quieter and stayed silent. 

Serena wanted to pick up Ben and run him away, far away from Darien, but she knew she couldn't. She wanted to shield him, protect him from the world of the evil Darien, but she couldn't do that either. All she could do was watch helplessly as Darien stroked her son's raven-wing hair. Finally, he stood and walked out of the room. Giving one last look to her son, Serena shut the door behind them and walked him back to the living room of the apartment. 

"So you've seen your son. Now leave Darien."

"Why? We were just getting reacquainted. Why rush the exit my sweet?" He asked, smiling sickeningly sweetly. She shuddered. What was he up to?

"Why rush it? Because I don't want you near me or my son. Get lost. You're a creep, you've always been a creep, and you'll always be a creep. I don't want to get to know you again, once was too much as it was. Now I'm going to tell you one more time: get lost or I call…"

"Or you call who? You're pathetic Serena. Face it, you can't beat me. I always get what I want, and what I want is you." He grabbed her waist and threw her to the couch. His mouth covered hers in a bruising kiss. Then she felt his hands traveling up her shirt and trying to unclasp her bra. She struggled harder, but it was no use. He was going to rape her, right here, right now, fifty feet from her sleeping son in her own apartment. This wasn't right, it just couldn't happen this way!

"Get your Goddamned hands off of her!" A gruff and low voice rang out into the empty room. Suddenly Darien was pulled from behind off of Serena's lithe form and onto the floor. She looked up to see Hiiro Yui standing over her ex-boyfriend, a gun poised at Darien's head and a dark frown on his face.

"What the fuck? And just who in hell do you think you are?" Darien snapped at Hiiro. The only thing keeping him on the ground was the threat of Hiiro's gun. Serena had completely forgotten about Hiiro. Once again, he had become her savoir. First her son, then her butt, and now her innocence; or what was left of it anyway. 

"Hiiro Yui." He looked up and saw the frightened look in Serena's eyes when she looked at Darien. He had heard Darien's entire conversation with Serena, from the moment they had stepped into the apartment. He hadn't wanted to get involved because he had thought it was none of his business, but when Serena had been in danger of being raped by him, for some reason he had had the urge to want to kill this freak. He had acted upon the urge without question as well. Anything to protect Serena. Anything.

"Well, Hiiro Yui, what the fuck do you think gives you the right to interfere with Serena and I, hmm?" He was too cocky for his own good. 

"I'm her boyfriend, that's what." His breath stopped. What was he thinking? He really was losing it! Going soft over a girl…

Serena could not believe it. First he had saved her, and now he was calling himself her boyfriend to get rid of Darien! Was this man a saint in a past life or what? Good looking, strong, brave, and willing to go out on a limb to protect people. He really was a perfect. The perfect soldier. Hey! That was the nickname Duo had used when he'd said the Perfect Soldier wouldn't like not seeing her again! Things just kept taking new twists and turns all the time.****

"Her… boyfriend!" Now Darien's eyes were wide with fear. He was in trouble now… "Serena! You never mentioned you had a boyfriend!" He accused her.

"I didn't know you would try to rape me you pervert." She told him evenly, standing from the couch and stepping behind the safety of Hiiro's body.

"Get out Mr. Chiba. And if you think about coming back, there will be a bullet with your name on it. Move." Hiiro said coldly. It worked, because within seconds Darien was standing and heading for the door.

"Just you two wait! I'm going to slap you with an arrest warrant for attempted murder so fast it'll set your heads spinning!" He growled.

"You can try, but it wouldn't do much good." Hiiro growled right back, sounding just as menacing.

"And why's that?" Sneered Darien.

"Hnn." Hiiro smirked this time as he grunted. Darien didn't respond, so Hiiro gently slammed the door and locked it. Turning to Serena, he saw her long face. Before opening his mouth, he gently grasped her shoulders and led her into her bedroom. Shutting the door behind them, he finally turned to look at her. Her back was face him, and he could see it shaking. 

"Serena?" He ventured.

"Oh God!" She turned around and flung herself into his arms. He simply returned her hug and then held her, letting her cry her tears into his bare and bandaged chest. When her crying subsided, she pulled away and wiped her tears away.

"I'm sorry Hiiro. I just… oh stars!" She just felt like crying, just absolutely sobbing. So much had happened these last few days. The school, Hiiro, her jobs, Darien, Ben… it all added up, and she just couldn't hold it in any longer. 

"It's fine. You need to cry more anyway. I don't think you do enough." She laughed despite herself. 

"I don't see you crying much." She told him.

"I don't know how to cry. I've forgotten." He told her quietly. "Why do you let him push you around?"

"He threatened to sue me and take away Ben… for good. How could I let him do that?"

"He couldn't. You're a good mother. You'd win the court battle." Hiiro told her.

"No. I couldn't afford a lawyer, and besides, what good mother dances at a strip club while leaving her son with a babysitter?"

"One who wants to earn enough money to support her son comfortably. And Quatre could represent you as a lawyer. He's good in that area of expertise…" she laughed again. It felt good.

"Thank you. I needed that."

"So you did." He smirked. She noticed something for the first time.

"Hey! You got up out of bed! And you exerted physical force when you're badly injured! Hiiro!" He laughed. She loved the sound of the rich, low, melodious laughter he produced. 

"I had to! Would you rather me let him touch you? Not on my watch." He cocked his gun, then put the safety on it and spun it around his finger. She stopped it and took it from him. 

"Now, now, no more toys for Hiiro. Not until he tells Serena why he said he was her boyfriend." She wiggled her finger in his face, mocking him. He caught it and held it.

"I think the question is, did you mind being called my girlfriend?" He smirked. She couldn't believe this was the cold and uncaring man she had met only a day earlier.

"No, I didn't. But." She pulled back. Was she ready?

"But?" His smirk had now been replaced with a serious look.

"But I'm not sure about this… I mean, what if we decide it doesn't work? Or one of us gets injured? Killed? Our jobs? And… I don't want to be hurt again…" She paced across the bed in front of him.

"Neither am I. I do know that in the last few days I've felt more emotions than in the rest of my life. You, and Ben, both make me feel different, wanted. I feel like I belong, and I don't want to let that go. I'm not sure either, but if we don't try, we'll never know. I do, however, promise you I will never hurt you the way Darien has." He vowed. How could he even think of hurting such an innocent as Serena?

"I…" She wanted to tell him yes, to run to his arms, to scream and shout out for him to hold her, kiss her, comfort her. She wanted to. So why couldn't she? Why was she hesitating? "I'm sorry. I just don't know. It's too much right now." Tears fell again. Why did she have to push him away? Now he would hate her. Men!

Hiiro understood, for once, what she meant when she said that it was too much right now. His own senses were totally overloaded; it was only natural to assume hers were the same. But that didn't mean he was giving up… oh no, far from it. He reached up to brush away her tears. Those pesky tears. He wished he could banish them from her eyes forever. Knowing he couldn't, he settled for impishly brushing them aside, then drawing her in closer to him and holding her tight.

Such warmth. So he wasn't going to leave her, even after her rejection? Maybe she had judged him too quickly. But she had to know for certain.

"You're not leaving because I said no?" She asked him, hoping against hope he would say no. 

"No." Her heart soared. "I understand what you mean by too much, I feel the same way. But I still want to be near you, even just as a friend."

"I'd like that. I really would." She looked up at him and smiled a blinding smile through her tears. Laying her head back down on is chest, she yawned. While Ben and Hiiro had slept in earlier that morning, she had been up like clockwork, at exactly six o'clock. She was so tired now, and Hiiro was so warm, so safe, comfortable… 

He looked down to find the angel asleep. Smirking, he placed her on her bed and crawled in beside her. He didn't think she would mind, seeing as how they were both dressed. And he was certainly not going to put her on the couch, and she would have a fit if she found him on it. Closing his eyes, he too, drifted off into the dream world.

)(

"You do like peanut butter and jelly, don't you Hiiro?" She asked him. It was noon, and since school was out for an unknown amount of time, Serena was making lunch for Ben. And Hiiro, of course. When she had awoken earlier that morning, she had found herself snuggled beside a stranger. But she had been warm and felt safe, so she hadn't given it a second thought and gone back to bed. That was, until six seventeen, when, just like clockwork, Ben had burst into her bedroom, waking both her and Hiiro. She had been slightly embarrassed when he asked why they had slept together, but when Hiiro explained it, it had made perfect sense. Now the only thing that was making sense in her mind was who liked what on their sandwiches.

"Hnn." He had gone back to his grunting, but for some strange reason she usually understood what he wanted to say. It was like his own special 'Hiiro language' that only she and a few select others could understand. It was almost fun guessing.

"Alright then, here you go. Ben, how's your pb&j taste?" 

"Perfect-o momma!" He said with his mouth full, breadcrumbs spilling everywhere. She and Hiiro burst out laughing. While they were laughing, her apartment buzzer rang. Walking to answer it, she found in front of her Duo, Quatre, Trowa, and Wufei. She tried to hide her surprise.

"Guys! Hey! Come on in! What are you all doing here?" She asked them.

"Well, we figured since we hadn't heard from Hiiro that he had died. We just came to collect his body for the funeral." Duo laughed at his own joke. No one else thought it was funny.

"Right. Well, he's actually…" She was cut off by a very loud and very rude noise for the kitchen. Following the noise came a deep throaty laugh floating and wafting through her apartment. 

"Did you have company Ms. Serena?" Quatre asked her.

"No, just you all and Hiiro, why?" She was completely puzzled. And a little upset at the noise. Ben was going to hear it later; she had already told him burping was not appropriate thing to show off.

"Oh, well…" Quatre started.

"Who laughed?" and Duo finished.

"Hiiro did of course. I'm sorry; Ben seems to be going through a stage in which he thinks burping id the coolest thing on this side of the galaxy. It really makes me poleaxed. 

"But Hiiro laughed?" Trowa managed to spit out.

"Yeah. What's wrong, you guys act like he's never laughed before." She smiled at their pitiful faces. 

"He hasn't. Yui does not laugh. He knows emotions are weak." Wufei corrected Serena. She simply shrugged it off and motioned for them to follow her into the kitchen.

"Hiiro, the guys are here to collect you." She watched as his face fell. Not noticeably to the rest of his friends of course, but enough so that she could see. He really liked staying with her and Ben.

"Hnn." She almost laughed at is unaffectionate reaction to his friend's arrival. Now he had to leave. Poor guy.

"Nice to see you too Hiiro buddy!" Duo yelled out.

"Mr. Duo, I can't hear anymore!" Ben called out. The rest of the guys laughed. Serena heard her buzzer ring again. Thinking it was Hilde or Connie, or one of her other few friends, she buzzed them in and waited at the door. A man in a pressed black suit and starched white collar climbed the steps. Her heart stopped.

"Are you a Miss. Serena Usagi Tsukino?" The man asked her.

"Yes. What can I do for you Mr…?"

"Apolis. John Apolis. I'm Mr. Chiba's lawyer, and I just wanted to let you know, Mr. Chiba is pressing charges of abuse and child infringement rights." 

"What?" She breathed.

"He is suing you for…"

"I heard you the first time, thank you. She shut the door in his face.

"Serena? Who was it?" Called a voice from the kitchen. She walked back into it in a daze.

"It was Darien's lawyer. Hiiro, he's following through with his threat to sue me. I'm ruined!" She sat on the nearest available chair and put her face in her hands. Her shoulders began to shake, and then Hiiro knew she was crying. Shit, this was not good, definitely not good. Who would have thought that as spineless a snake as Darien would grow a backbone over night? *


	14. I'll See You in Court

Chapter Thirteen: I'll See You in Court Victoria J. Draeger Normal Victoria J. Draeger 1 1904-01-13T06:35:00Z 1904-01-13T06:35:00Z 7 3239 13930 Zero One Ink. 248 83 22676 9.2511 0 0 

Chapter Thirteen: I'll See You in Court

*"Excuse me Ms Serena, but why is this 'Darien' suing you of all people?" Quatre broke the silence. 

"He's suing me because I have his son." She whispered quietly through her tears. A collective gasp went through the room, including Ben's little gasp.

"Momma? What is suing? And I'm your son, so how can I be Mr. Darien's?" Serena cried harder when he asked her the ultimate question. She shook her head and buried it deeper within her hands and arms. Hiiro, watching all of this, decided to take some action. He had sworn to himself to do all he could to protect Serena always, and if he had to help her win a court battle to protect her sanity and son, then he would gladly. He just needed a little support first…

"Duo, take Ben to the park." Hiiro spoke in the silence of the kitchen.

"But Hiiro…"

"Do it. Now." The patented death glare worked every time with Duo. The braided boy bent down to Ben and gently got his attention.

"Hey sport, want to go to the park for a while?" 

"Will Mr. Hiiro take me?" Ben wanted to know.

"No, but I was thinking you and me could go. We could even get some ice cream and see the animals…" 

"Yeah! Let's go Mr. Duo!" His mother completely forgotten, Ben skipped out the door with Duo in trail.

"But Hiiro man, when I get back, I want the details." He warned. Then he shut the door and ran to catch up to the bouncing boy.

"Hiiro?" Serena asked, now trying to collect herself. She couldn't understand why he had just sent Duo out to the park with her son, but she was glad he had. Now she wouldn't have to explain what was going on to make 'momma' cry. But she still wondered what Hiiro was up to.

"Quatre, what is your current knowledge of- Serena, what's he suing you for?" She realized where he was going with this and wanted to put an end to it. She couldn't let him do this…

"Hiiro, no. You can't be serious. Look, I appreciate your wanting to help and all, but you've already done so much for Ben and I, I just can't let you or your friends do this. It's something I have to handle alone."

"What did he sue you for woman?" Wufei asked her annoyed.

"Please, you don't have to…"

"What?" Trowa pressed.

"But…"

"Ms. Serena, you've helped us too, more so than you'll ever know. Please, Hiiro's right, let us help you." Quatre added. The buzzer rang.

"I'll get it." Hiiro told them, leaving the room. As soon as he had left hearing range, his friends set in.

"Serena, listen. Hiiro has never ever laughed before. He has never ever wanted to hold a child before last night. He has never been as warm and open as he has been since he met you and Ben. You've helped him, and in turn helped us. I don't know how, but you have. Now please, let us repay you by helping you." Trowa told her quietly. Serena's jaw dropped. She didn't understand how she could have effect one man like Hiiro as much as they said she had. It just didn't add up in her mind. She was a nobody, a nothing with little to offer. Yet here were four, well, three, boys who swore she had changed their friend's attitude in a total 360. How?

"I want to see my son now! You heard me gun boy! Let me in!" A loud screeching voice traveled in through the kitchen. Bells went off in Serena's head and she quickly stood and rushed to the door. Not to be outdone, the rest of the boys chased after her to see what the commotion was all about.

In the doorway stood a tall, tanned man. He had nicely combed pitch-black hair and midnight blue eyes. His clothes were nice and told the story of money. Ill-earned and used money. His handsome face was squirreled up in a devious snarl. Each of the boys had the epiphany that this was Serena's ex-lover and the man who was now suing her, Darien Mamoru Chiba. 

"Serena! Where the hell is my son! I want to meet him!" He bellowed as soon as he saw Serena.

"Well Darien. He could be hiding under his bed from your disgusting appearance, which is where I'd be if you scared me anymore. Or he could simply be out playing around. Either way, you can't see him." 

"You little! I took you out of that hellhole of Tokyo. I got you away from your damned math tests and stupid parents. I freed you. And this is how you repay me?" He snapped at her.

"Freed me? Darien, you are the biggest creep I have ever had the displeasure of meeting. You not only destroyed any chance I had for being a decent high school student by poisoning my mind, but you also ruined what shaky relationship I had with my parents, who did love me at one point. Yeah, so you got me out of Tokyo. You also got me pregnant and left me on the street. I didn't have any place to go, no clothes, furniture, food, home, nothing. All because of your libido. Get a fricking life and stop trying to ruin mine and Ben's!" She pushed Hiiro out of the doorway and slammed the door in Darien's face. She took a moment, thinking of something. Then she opened the door again. Darien was still standing their, jaw to the floor. 

"And by the way, Dare-baby, I'll see you in court. I hope you've got some good lawyers, 'cause you're looking at mine, and believe me, they're the best." She slammed the door again. Leaning up against the closed door, she allowed herself a small taste of satisfaction. It felt good to release the pent up anger she had stored in her bones since the day she had found out he had left her. 

"Does that mean you'll let us help you?" Hiiro asked her.

"Hmm. And let's not only go to court to win, but to kick his butt!" She threw her fist into the air as if to confirm her conviction. The boys simply stared at her. "Well?" She said meekly shrinking back down. "That is what we're going to try to do, right?" This time they all laughed.

"Yeah Serry, that's what we're going to try to do." Hiiro said through his laughter. She leaned into him and he brought his arms around to hold her waist. If only they could be this comfortable always. 

The other boys saw the two's position and inwardly smiled to themselves. It looked to them like two people were just getting closer and closer. And now Hiiro had a nickname for her? Hmm…. This was going to be one interesting court case if they continued like this. But they said nothing, just continued to laugh.

"Well, then let's get to work!" Serena said. Now she would prove she could make it, she could survive, and so could Ben. They would prove they would be ok, prove it was possible to survive in the concrete jungle even when they felt alone.

)(

"Ok, so we've covered how you got here, and how he left you. How did you get your apartment after you found out you were pregnant?" Quatre asked her, munching on one of the Oreo's she had put out for them to eat. Serena and all five of the guys were sitting around her coffee table discussing details so they could prepare to defend her during the court trials. Ben was playing 'Mr. Hiiro to the rescue' in his room; his GI Joe action figure was Hiiro. Serena sat back against the couch and thought. What Quatre was asking her was hard. How had she managed to get an apartment? 

"Hmm. Well, I remember I wasn't even two weeks pregnant with Ben at the time, so no one could tell I was pregnant. I found this apartment, and they weren't charging much. They did, however, want a down payment so I could rent it. I remember I only needed five hundred for the down payment. I just didn't have the money. So there I was, pregnant and homeless. I was walking down the street looking for a place to stay the night and I walked by a club. Some woman was storming out of it and she looked furious. A man was calling after her and begging for her not to go because she was needed for her act. I offered to fill in for the girl's act, what ever it was, for the five hundred dollars so I could make my down payment. He said he would only give me three hundred, but I was so desperate I said yes. Didn't even know what I had said yes to at the time. Twenty minutes later I was pushed onto a stage and told to strip. I never could make it past my underclothes though, that part always scared me to much." She paused to take in the faces of the boys.

Trowa looked mildly surprised. Wufei was disgusted. Quatre was shocked; it was written all over is face. Duo was half surprised and half drooling. Hiiro was stoic and unemotional. Well, she had known Hiiro had recognized her from the strip club. She just hadn't known the others still hadn't put two and two together. 

"You stripped?" Duo asked her, trying to wipe his drooling mouth unsuccessfully. 

"And still do. I thought you guys recognized me. I saw you in the club three nights ago. It's where I met Hilde, Duo."

"You were the Moon Goddess act! The only one that didn't take off her bra!" Quatre had the epiphany. Then he looked around and blushed. "What? I can't be a man sometimes too?" HE said meekly. The rest of the guys laughed. 

"Hey guys, keep it down. I may strip, but Ben doesn't have to know that!" Serena told them sternly. 

"He doesn't know?" Trowa double-checked.

"Of course not! He's a little boy! Look. I'm nineteen years old. I have a four-year old son. I have blonde hair, blue eyes, supposedly a great body, though I don't think its all that great, and I'm single. If I go into court, I'm going to lose. What judge is going to take the word of some single mother who looks like me and strips? I mean, I might as well be a prostitute for all he cares. In fact, when he hears I'm a stripper, he'll think I am a prostitute. And the only man I've ever slept with is Darien, because he promised to marry me and love me forever. And I fell for it, hook, line and sinker." She blinked away hot tears. She was not going to cry. She wouldn't give Darien the satisfaction of it even if he wasn't there.

"She's right." Wufei said. "The judge is going to have a hard time taking her side, especially if she still dances."

"So what can we do? It's not like I can lie about what I do, Darien's guys have probably already got the four-one-one on me and my 'dancing' career." She told them, sighing. She had known it was too god to be true. What chance did she stand in a court battle against a respectable guy like Darien was rumored to be?

"Momma? I'm hungry. What's for dinner?" Ben came racing into the room.

"I don't know baby. How does spaghetti sound to you?"

"Yeah!" He turned to Hiiro and threw himself at the older boy. Hiiro caught him in his arms. "I love paseghetti. And momma makes it good too." Hiiro had to laugh at the little boy's antics, they were just too cute.

"And of course you'll all stay as well? It's the least I can do for all the help your, err-a, well, trying to give me." She half laughed and half smiled a fake smile. All of the boys caught onto it but understood the reason for her slight depression.

"We'd love to Serena-" Duo was cut off by Trowa elbowing him in the gut.

"- but I'm afraid we can't. You see, we all have dates with our girlfriends tonight." Quatre finished. Duo caught on. Serena didn't notice and continued.

"Oh, that's too bad. I mean, that's good for you guys and your girlfriends, but it's too bad you can't stay. Well, promise me you'll let me make you all dinner one night and we'll call it even." She smiled.

"But since Hiiro doesn't have a girlfriend, he'd love to stay." Duo put in slyly. Hiiro rolled his eyes at the braided oaf. 

"Oh. So Hiiro, since Duo's already spoken up for you, would you like to stay…

"And have paseghetti!" Ben finished his mother's sentence.

"And have spaghetti. I mean paseghetti. Err, spaghetti. Whatever. Does that mean you'll stay?" She was flustered, and it showed on her reddened cheeks. It was almost as if she was asking Hiiro out on a date, and she hadn't done that in many years. Heck, she had never done it. But she wasn't asking him out. They were just friends- right? She couldn't take the pain that came with dating- right? She didn't have time, and she already had everything she wanted- right? Then what was she thinking? Still, her blush held and she couldn't help but feeling slightly tingly inside when he smiled at her.

"I would love to stay for paseghetti." He had seen her blush, oh yes, he had seen it. And somehow, he liked it. He liked the fact that his presence made her uncomfortable. He liked the way she smiled at him, and he liked the way Ben wasn't afraid of him, even when he gave his best death threat to the little boy. He also liked Italian. 

"Then it's settled. See you guys tomorrow!" Duo cried as he the other three pilots left the apartment. 

)(

"So then she says 'Can I help you?'" By this time Hiiro was pounding the table laughing. Tears were coming out of his eyes he was laughing so hard. Serena too, was doubled over in laughter. Poor little Ben was sitting in his seat and blinking. 

"Momma? I don't get it? What was wrong with the last man the lady met?" Hiiro and Serena looked at each other and laughed harder. After they had sat down at the table to eat, Ben had begun telling jokes. Pretty soon Hiiro and Serena were telling their own jokes, well Serena was at any rate. Hiiro didn't know very many, only the few very dirty ones (the result of listening to Duo too much) he would rather not repeat in front of Ben. But Serena knew a good many 'adult' jokes that Ben couldn't grasp the concepts of. That made them twice as fun.

Anyone who looked in the tenth floor window of Serena's apartment would think they were one big, happy family. As the laughing quieted and Hiiro wiped the small tears from the corners of his eyes, Serena cleared their dishes and began washing them in the sink. Yup, just one big happy family. Hiiro watched Serena at the sink for a moment, then gave a short nod. 

"Ben, go watch some T.V., alright? I'm going to help your mother with the dishes, and then we can all go out for ice cream." He told the little boy quietly. "But don't tell your mother, it'll be our secret."

"Ok." Whispered back the little boy. He ran to the family room and sat down to find some cartoons. To his delight, Pokemon was on. It enthralled the little boy and he stayed glued to the television. Hiiro watched him for a moment thinking how cute and carefree he was. So unlike his mother and himself. Serena was a mere child when she had had Ben, and because of it she had had to grow up faster than normal. He too, had had such a childhood that he had learned to grow up far before his time. It wasn't fair, it really wasn't. But there hadn't been anyone to help them, to stop them from growing up too soon. And now the cycle would begin again. For millions of children it would begin again. Well, at least Ben wasn't one of them. Knowing Serena, she would keep him as innocent as possible for as long as she could. Well, at least the cycle would end there. He stood and stretched. Then he made his move. 

Serena had been peacefully washing the dishes like she did every night. She was rinsing off the plates from lunch's pb&j burping fiasco, quietly minding her own business. That was, until she felt someone sneak up right behind her and press his body against her own. She shivered deliciously and pressed back against the warm and solid form behind her. Closing her eyes, she dropped the plate she had been holding back into the soapy water in the sink and half smiled. The arms from the person lifted and began to softly massage her lower back. They moved up and finally reached her shoulders. As the strong hands moved in towards her neck, she unconsciously let herself moan. 

He heard her moan and figured he must be doing something right. Hiiro pulled her in closer to him and kept massaging her shoulders. He could hardly believe that this girl, woman, would let him so close to her. He felt as if he had been given a special treasure, one that he intended to never let go. Now that he had seen Darien and his antics he knew why Serena was frightened to have another relationship, but even if it took him a while, he knew for sure that he wanted a relationship with Serena.

His warm hands made her cold shoulders and neck flame with each tender caress she became more and more enamored by Hiiro. She could smell his clean scent- like soap. His soft sweats pressed against her small pink tank top and navy blue jean shorts, making her wish clothing was suddenly non-existent. He felt so perfect, so… destined for her… that she had a hard time keeping her wits about her. 

"Let's forget about those dishes." He whispered in her ear. "Let me take you and Ben out to ice cream."

"Mmmm…. Ice cream." She opened her star-crossed eyes and let them come into focus. Should she or shouldn't she accept his offer? "Only if you promise to have me home by curfew." She told him, twisting around so that now her stomach was pressed against him. 

"And what's your curfew kewpie doll?" He looked down onto her face, mocking her with his trademark smirk. She was driving him mad. It hadn't been so bad when her back had been facing him, but now that he could see her porcelain face, feel her warm breath, and feel the sensation of her heart beat against his chest, his sense were being overloaded to the maximum. 

"My curfew. Hmm, let's see. I'd say eight thirty?" 

"Your parents are strict." He played back.

"Only because I have a four year old son."

"Makes sense. Not that I like it. But it makes sense. Let's go daddy's little girl, before he decides to call out the national guard and lock me away for wanting to take his adorable daughter and grandchild out."

"Well alright then, let me get a sweater. And you and Ben should too."

"Roger that Admiral Serry. This is Private Yui, over and out." He mock saluted her and bowed. She laughed and playfully hit him on the arm. This guy was so strange. He was supposed to be emotionless. But here he was, laughing and playing games, seducing her and taking her and her son out for ice cream…not that she minded. As she Hiiro and Ben slipped out the doorway, She neglected to catch the little portion of her mind that had said 'seducing her'. Maybe she was tired of being alone. Maybe she really thought she had a chance with Hiiro. Maybe she unknowingly loved him. But whatever the reason, she let it slip, just this once.*


	15. Bring it On

Chapter Fourteen: Bring it On Victoria J. Draeger Normal Victoria J. Draeger 1 1904-01-13T06:36:00Z 1904-01-13T06:37:00Z 7 3340 14366 Zero One Ink. 256 86 23386 9.2511 0 0 

Chapter Fourteen: Bring it On

*She lay in bed contemplating the evening before. He had taken them for ice cream, and much to her delight, he hadn't tried anything funny while doing so. The last time a man had wanted to be her 'friend', he had taken her and Ben to ice cream. He ended up trying to suck face with her in the middle of the park and in front of Ben. That hadn't gone over too well with her of course. Hmm… she wondered if that man was out of that body cast yet…

But Hiiro hadn't been like that. He had been nice. Sort of. As soon as he remembered other people were around them, he had clamed up and started speaking his infamous 'grunt' language. Still, he had at least been pleasant about it. He had even walked her to her apartment door like a real gentleman- Darien had never done that in all the time they had dated. And Hiiro had both hugged Ben goodnight and kissed her hand the way she'd pictured only the most chivalrous Knights of the Round Table might. 

Yes, all in all, it had been one of the best evenings in her life. Very relaxing. And the good feeling seemed to have washed over to this morning too. She was so warm and comfortable in bed. And, best of all, it was six twenty, and Ben was still fast asleep. Apparently he had been a little tired last night- so tired he hadn't run in and pounced on her yet. So now here she lay, snuggled under her nice, warm sheets and blankets, the sun dripping into her room through her floating white curtains that billowed in the light breeze. The sun and wind were hitting her prism wind chime, creating fabulous dancing rainbows across her bed and walls and melodious fairish music that tinkled through the air. 

"Morning." A deep and dark voice startled her. Serena quickly flipped her head to the doorway. The dark figure that entered almost seemed out of place. He was dressed in extremely dark denim jeans and a black muscle shirt. Chocolate hair unruly and prussian blue eyes heavy with mesmerizing untold secrets, he stood and stared. Then he crossed into the room and stood at the end of her bed, just standing and looming over in an almost ominous stance. The danger and strength that lurked in the depths of his eyes astounded her; she couldn't imagine him as dangerous, not after all he had done for her and her son.

"Morning." She replied jauntily.

When he had first woken that morning he had felt as if something were wrong. After quickly sitting up in bed, he had figured out what it was. He wasn't near Serena. Since they had met they hadn't been separated this long. Of course once he had accepted that this was, indeed, the reason he felt something was wrong, he felt it was his duty as the 'Perfect Soldier' to admit he liked a girl enough to pine over her. So instead he had gotten up and gone for a jog. That had been at five. He had returned at five fifty and taken his shower. Still he felt wrong, incomplete. So he had sat down to breakfast with his friends. Though they had been fun (Duo had put out tang instead of orange juice for Wufei and Wufei had been only millimeters away to actually succeeding in taking off Duo's braid), he still felt strange. So he had just accepted it and decided to visit her. 

Mistake: picking the locks and walking into her bedroom doorway. He had wanted to…to… he wasn't sure. But what ever the feeling had been, it would have ended up with him in a body cast. (He vaguely thought about the guy that he had seen in the hospital with the full body cast on- the nurse had told him the man had tried to put the moves on a woman too soon). Hiiro wanted to prevent anything like that happening to him. But the feeling had been so primal, so urgent that he could not help the way his 'morning' had come out. It had sounded dark, he was sure. 

Now as he stood across from her as she lay nestled in her covers, he took a much better look at her. She just looked so pure, so cherubic with the sunlight pouring onto her loose golden silver hair and her small knowing and content smile crossing her delicately painted rosy lips. The sweet tinkling of the wind chime out her window and the rainbows it cast about the warmly decorated room had made it seem as if he had stepped into another world; one in which angels and good fairies resided. The sweet smell of roses and soap had entered his nose and he breathe it in deeply. If he could just hang onto this precious moment forever, if he could just freeze time here and now, he would never ask for anything more in life. He saw her beginning to make the move to get up.

"Don't." He told her. His tone stopped her and sent chills down her spine.

"Why not?" She asked in her own dark voice.

"That voice does not fit you." He smirked and she blushed.

"Well, why shouldn't I get up?" She asked in a lighter, more jovial tone.

"You look comfortable."

"Is that all I look like? I probably look scary. I haven't combed my hair or anything yet."

"You look fine." He balked at his words. Was it so hard for him to say she looked beautiful?

"No, you're just saying that. I'm going to get up." She made a move. He made one too. Quickly moving to her side, he stopped her from moving.

"Hiiro?" He was being very confusing…

"You look like a seraph like that. Don't move." She laid back down and allowed him to recover her. But she still had questions for him.

"What's a seraph?" She began. He gave a mild blush before sitting on the edge of her bed to explain it.

"A seraph is the highest ranking angel in the Bible. They are described as being very beautiful, having six wings, and being the closest to divinity." His blush deepened. He knew he never should have read that mythology book Trowa had given him… now it was getting him into all sorts of trouble.

"Why would you say I, of all people, look like a seraph?" She asked him, blushing a healthy shade of pink herself. 

"Well, I don't know. You just do with the sun and your hair and those rainbows and all." He shut his mouth, afraid if he opened it again nothing good would come out.

"Hmm." Serena just sat there thinking contentedly for a moment. So Hiiro thought she looked like an angel? And not just any old angel either. A pretty angel. But the funniest thing of all was the fact that the Great Hiiro Yui, the one who walked out of blown up building alive, the one nick named the 'Perfect Soldier', was tongue-tied. She had thought she would never, ever see the day he was tongue-tied. It was actually very cute.

"So you think I'm a pretty angel then?" She prodded him with questions. 

"Maybe." He smirked. She wouldn't get him, no sir!

"Maybe?" She leaned in closer towards him.

"Maybe." He said, rather breathlessly.

"Then why did you say so if you only meant it maybe?"

"Because." He shifted uncomfortably. She was so close…

"Because?" She moved in closer still.

"Because." They were still in the silence of the clam and bright morning. Then slowly they leaned in. Serena could feel his warm breath upon her lips. They were so close. Hiiro too, was being driven mad by the proximity of Serena's lips to his own. Only a bit more and he would have what he had been longing for…

"Momma! Momma, momma, momma!" Ben came racing into the room. The two sprang apart, both with a slightly guilty look on their faces.

"Morning Ben baby." She said as the little boy climbed onto the bed and into her lap.

"Morning momma! Morning Mr. Hiiro! Momma, I slept so long!" At her son's remark, both Hiiro and Serena cracked huge smiles. 

"And Momma, I'm hungry too." The little boy moved from Serena's lap to Hiiro's. 

"Well, how does cereal sound this morning?" She asked her son.

"What kind?" He asked her back suspiciously. Though she had tried, Serena could only get her son to eat one kind out cereal: Kix, the 'kid tested mother approved' cereal. It amused her beyond belief that he would only eat it. 

"Kix. You can have your Kix baby." She told him smiling. 

"Kix! The 'kid tested mother approved' cereal1 Yummy! I'm going to get some!" With that, he sprinted out of the room and onto the kitchen, where he preceeded to dig for his favorite cereal.

"He likes Kix?" Hiiro asked her smirking.

"You have no idea. Let me give you one piece of advice. If you want to stay on Ben's good side, never come between him and his Kix." She laughed. Hiiro didn't deem it worthy of laughing, but he did smirk. 

"Well, some one's not in a very happy mood this morning." She commented with a slightly pouting look across her features.

"Oh? And who might that be?" He simply sat smirking, knowing full well she had meant him.

"Stars! You are a devil when you want to be!" She pouted more.

"And?"

"And what?!" She was visibly frustrated.

"And. Why say more than needed?" Hiiro smirked. It was kind of fun pushing her over the edge like this…

"You are evil! I knew it the minute you walked in my room this morning. You had this. . . . how did you get into my apartment?!" She cried indignantly.

"Picked the locks. You need tighter security."

"Thanks for the tip." She pushed her covers off all together and got out of bed. 

"I told you not to move." He explained in a monotone voice.

"And." Was her reply as she dug through her drawer for something to wear. She pulled out white jean shorts and a baby blue, skin-tight tank top. If he wanted to look that good she had some work to do to catch up…

"And what?" He asked in slight confusion.

"And. Why say more than needed?" She turned and smirked. He was stunned. She had turned his own words against him. Before he could reply she had raced out the door and slammed the bathroom door behind her. Shaking his head, he decided it would be going too far if he picked the bathroom lock and walked in on her, so he went to join Ben instead. 

As Serena stepped out of the shower, she thought of her upcoming court case. Would she really lose? She knew Darien had pulled quite a few strings to push the date of it to next week. Darien. She sighed. Every time she thought of him it hurt. She had truly loved him. She would have given her life to him, for him. In fact, she had given her life to and for him. But he had left her in the dust. She almost felt like running back into his arms when she saw him, even after all he had done to her. It hurt that he wouldn't want her anymore; she wanted him to want her. But she knew that if she went back to him he'd do the same thing again. In fact, he would probably do it to Ben too. That was the last thing she wanted. She wanted Ben to have a good, loving relationship with the man she chose to end up with in life, and she was sure that he would never get one with Darien. Well, it was time to face the real world now. She opened the door and stepped out.

"So we need to get our facts in order today!" She heard Duo's voice ring out. So her new lawyers were here. She smiled lightly thinking about what a funny group they were together but how well it worked. 

"Morning Miss. Serena." Called Quatre as he saw her.

"Hnn." Wufei greeted her. Wow, he was warming up!

"Good morning." Trowa nodded. 

"Hey babe! Sleep well? I was surprised Hiiro didn't stay the night. You know, he…" Duo was cut off by the sight of Hiiro's un between his eyes. As silence persisted for the next two minutes, Hiiro finally put his gun away. He smirked. 

"Maxwell, two minutes of silence, that's a new record." Wufei had a field day with Duo's 'defeat'.

"Hey!" Duo cried in protest. "I can be quiet when I want to! In fact, one time I was so quiet that, well you see, there was this truck, and I was behind it, and I was so quiet-" Duo eyed the four guns that were pointed at him and decided that now was one of those times to prove he could be quiet. Serena was laughing so hard she could barely breath. These guys were a crack up! As soon as she was able to collect herself, she questioned them.

"So why are you guys here so early? I thought we were supposed to meet later?" She asked.

"Darien's lawyers called. They've managed to push the trial up to tomorrow." Trowa told her worriedly.

"Tomorrow? We'll never be ready!" She cried.

"Don't worry. We'll work all day. You actually have done the hardest and most tedious part already- telling us the background information. We just have to make a plan using it now." Quatre tried to reassure her.

"Are you sure we can do it?" She asked them.

"Positive." Duo nodded his head. Wufei cuffed him.

"Woman, we know what we are doing." He said.

"We will win Serena, don't worry." Hiiro added. "Why don't you take Ben to the park today; we can figure things out on our own. Then when you get back, we can fill you in and you can make any changes necessary."

"Well, alright… are you sure you don't need me here?" She asked skeptically.

"Positive." Quatre nodded.

"And I'll make sure they don't destroy your apartment." Duo said importantly. Ever single person in the room looked at him blankly, then cracked up. "What did I say?" Duo asked cluelessly. They just laughed harder.

)(

"So then we're ready?" She asked excitedly.

"We couldn't be more prepared." Quatre smiled. 

"You guys don't know how much this means to me. Thank you so much!" She ran around the room hugging each of them. They were ready for court tomorrow. It was, however, nine thirty PM. Later than they had expected. Oh well, that was the price to pay for being ready. 

"We'll meet you at the court room tomorrow at ten thirty. And remember, even though we don't like it, we have to bring Ben. Darien's likely to call him to the stand. The slug." Trowa shuddered as he spoke. Anyone who put a four-year old boy on their witness list was sick in the mind. It wasn't fair that such a small boy should be exposed to the workings of the perfect judicial system of SF. The one that let criminals out on minimum sentence and had suspended the use of Capital Punishment. They shouldn't be so damn lenient. Moving along…

"Right. I'll see you there. Bye guys, and thanks!" She called as she watched them disappear down the stairwell. 

)(

All seven of them were outside the courtroom waiting for their turn. Darien and his crew hadn't arrived on the scene yet. Serena and Hiiro were standing slightly separated form the rest of the group, watching Duo teach Ben a magic trick.

He was nervous. And if he was nervous, she had to be nervous. He couldn't quite explain why he was nervous. Hiiro knew that Serena had the best lawyers in the entire state of California. He knew she would win her case hands down. She had too. So why was he nervous? He was never, ever, nervous before any other court trial. Maybe it was because in all the others he had been in he had not been personally connected to the defendant. However, this time it was a bit different. He was more that just personally connected. He felt as if he were closer than that. He knew the truth. He knew what was right, what was good and wholesome and just within this case, and he was afraid that no one else would see it. 

Serena wasn't nervous. For the first time she knew what she wanted and she was going to get it. She wasn't going to hold back and let slimy Darien ruin her son's chances at a good and wholesome life. No, it wasn't going to work that way. Not this time, not again. She wouldn't allow him to corrupt her son's life the way he had corrupted hers. She snuck a quick peek at Hiiro and noticed he was paler than usual. Was the great Perfect Soldier afraid? She had to smirk at that one.

"Hiiro? Are you alright? You seem a bit pale." She began.

"Fine."

"Your not _scared_- are you?" She teased. He couldn't believe she wasn't even just a little frightened.

"Why aren't you?" He asked her.

"Because I know I have the best lawyers. I know I have the best friends. I know what I'm doing is right, and that what Darien is doing is evil. I know, I'm certain. That's why I'm not scared. I know." She told him gently. 

"I know that too. But I can't help thinking something is wrong here."

"That would be Darien. He is wrong. His very presence is evil." She told him pointedly.

"He's not here yet."

"Oh? He just walked in the door." Hiiro turned to see where Serena was looking. Indeed, there Darien stood, two over confident lawyers next to him drinking their Starbuck's coffees. 

"Hmm. No wonder." Hiiro said jokingly. He suddenly felt more comfortable. Now he knew why he had felt afraid. It wasn't fear as much as it was loathing and disgust. Darien was coming their way too.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here? The story book princess and her knight in shining armor." Darien smirked at his own joke. No one else did.

"Morning to you too Darien. You know this whole court battle is not a good idea." Serena told him coldly. 

"Why not? You not ready to lose?" This time Darien's lawyers laughed behind him.

"No. I think it's a bad thing for your lawyer's reputation." She told him.

"What is?" One of the lawyers asked.

"The fact that you're representing a slime ball and creep." The entire SWAT team Gundam had a hard time containing their obvious amusement at Serena's comments. 

"Momma?" Ben asked suddenly. "Who's the scary man momma?" The SWAT tam laughed harder. Darien's face grew pink with rage.

"You didn't even tell him who I am?" Darien flung at her.

"Nope." Serena picked up Ben and grinned. The court doors opened and a bailiff called flagged them in. Serena quickly flipped around and entered the courtroom. Though Darien tried to grab her, Hiiro quickly stepped in and followed closely behind her. 

As they all settled into their seats, they waited nervously for the judge to enter. As the black robed man did, they stood. He banged the mallet on his desk.

"Alright, this is the lawsuit trial of Chiba versus Tsukino. Lawyers, you may state your opening arguments, beginning with the plaintiff." One of Darien's lawyers stood to face the judge and jury and began his statement. 

"Your honor, jury, I have today been asked to help my client. His name is Darien Mamoru Chiba, and his reason for suing Ms. Tsukino is quite simple. For the last four years Ms. Tsukino has robbed him of seeing, talking to, or having anything to do with his own son; his own flesh and blood. Then, when Darien finally had the chance to see his son for the first time, Ms. Tsukino had her boyfriend, Mr. Yui, assault him with a gun." The jury gasped and began to murmur amongst themselves. "All we ask, is for custody of Darien's innocent son and a few thousand dollars in emotional damage for poor Darien. Thank you your honor." Serena finally recognized the man who had spoken as Mr. John Apolis, the one who had told her she was being sued. The judge spoke.

"Ms. Tsukino? You're lawyer?" Quatre stood and straightened his suit jacket.*

** Question: Do you all want the full trial or just highlights or none of it or what? Gotta know soon!**


	16. Into the Fire She Walked

~ I don't usually write chapter notes, but this is important: There probably should be a hearing before this trail, but that makes for no fun, so I'm skipping it and going to the juicy stuff. Also, I don't know if I got all the law jargin right (I don't watch this kinda stuff) so bare with me. Thanx!!~

Chapter Fifteen: Into the Fire She Walked

"Your Honor and ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I stand here today in defense of a young woman. Ms. Tsukino is a mother. A loving, caring mother, whom Darien abandoned the same hour he found out she was pregnant. He left her on the street, no money, no home, he left her with nothing but the knowledge that she and her son were not welcome in his presence ever again. And now, four years after he left her alone in a new country, pregnant and hardly able to fend for her self, not to mention a minor," the jury gasped at this as well "he tries to take away the little boy whom she has worked so hard to raise with good morals and chances to make it in this big world. Ladies and gentlemen, neither Ms. Tsukino nor her" Quatre gulped. "Boyfriend Mr. Yui, did anything short of stopping Darien from taking her son, Ben, illegally. They caused no pain to Darien, physical or mental, yet he has caused pain to Ms. Tsukino and demands to be paid for it. I am simply here to argue that Mr. Chiba's accusations are false and that he deserves neither custody of his son, nor the money for fake damages that he claims he deserves. Thank you." Taking a deep breath, Quatre sat down. This would be a long one. The judge from his dais cleared his throat and began his own short little speech.

"Now that we have established the opening arguments for both the plaintiff and defendant, the prosecution may call their first witness." Darien's lawyer stood. 

"Your Honor, the prosecution would like to begin by calling to the stand Ms. Tsukino's night job boss, Mr. Eric James." An older man dressed in a seventy's style suit stood and approached the bench. 

"Do you swear to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth so help you God?" The bailiff asked the man.

"Yeah, Yeah, I do." The man sounded like someone directly from the Godfather movie. Serena shuddered. She never had liked this man.

"Now Mr. James," Darien's lawyer began, "is it true you employ a Ms. Serena Usagi Tsukino?"

"I do." Answered the man.

"And tell me, just what do you employ her to do?" Pressed the lawyer.

"Objection." Quatre raised his point and stood. "Permission to approach the bench?"

"Granted." Said the judge. Quatre and Darien's lawyer, Mr. Apolis, both stood in front of the judge.

"Your Honor, I know what the answer is, and while we expected this, we would like to postpone this particular question until Ms. Tsukino's son is out of the court room." Quatre told the judge quietly.

"And why do you wish the youngster out of the court room?" The judge asked skeptically.

"Sir, Ms. Tsukino does not wish to expose her son to what is about to come. If I could just send one of my colleagues out of the room to wait with the boy outside the door until this witness is gone?" There was a long pause.

"Sir," Mr. Apolis spoke up. "I must agree with Mr. Winner. I too, know what is coming up, and do not wish to expose the child to it."

"Well, seeing as how you both agree, very well, objection sustained. But I will send a bailiff out to watch as well." The judge ruled.

"Thank you sir." Quatre said. Then he signaled to Duo, who was ready to take Ben out of the courtroom.

"Resume trial." The judge told them.

"Mr. James, the question was, what do you employ Ms. Tsukino to do?" Mr. Apolis continued. 

"To work in my fine establishment of course." The man answered mysteriously.

"And her specific job is?" Apolis prompted him.

"She strips for my club." The jury went mad. 

"And how many nights a week does she work as a stripper?" Apolis went on, ignoring the jury.

"Four nights a week, sometimes five if one of the other ladies can't come in, but that's rare." Mr. James told them coolly. 

"How long has she stripped for you?" Apolis pressed.

"Oh, let's see. I know her pretty well, so she's been with our club for a while. Hmm, oh yes. She started about four and a half years ago. She only worked for a few weeks. Then after about nine months time she returned and has been with us for about four years since." 

"No further questions your Honor." Apolis turned to Quatre. "Your witness counsel." 

"Thank you." Quatre stood. "Now then, Mr. James. You say you know Ms. Tsukino fairly well, am I correct?"

"Yeah, I'd say so."

"Describe her attitude at work. Is she nice? Mean? Does she give you or anyone else any trouble? Break any rules?"

"Well, let's see here now. I'd have to say she's always cheerful. Oh, except once when her cat got run over. That shook her up fair well, but she still preformed with a smile. She brings in a lot of business for me. Now then, trouble? Never. She never broke no rules; she's a role model for most of my girls, what with juggling her day job and her son and all." Mr. James rambled on. 

"Is there anything else you've noticed about her? Any quirks? Does she seem disorganized or dishonest?"

"No sir, never. Selene over there is as clean as a whistle when it comes to organization and honesty. Why, I remember one time when some guys were asking about her for a one-night stand, and even though they offered her a thousand dollars, she refused. Selene just ain't like that. Quirks? Well, now that you mention it, yeah, there's two kind of. You see, she hates the stagehand watching her. She asked him not to cause she felt weird with him being her friend and watching her and all. Her other one is that she never strips more than to her skivvies. Never. Not once. She's as clean as the come for a stripper." 

"Thank you Mr. James. No further questions." Quatre turned his back to the witness and found himself drowning in Serena's beautiful blue eyes. They were leaking big drops of salty water and staring at him. It made him feel good, knowing she had trusted him so much with so much and that now she approved of the way he used it. He sent a silent prayer to Allah that he would indeed win this case for her. Now he knew what Hiiro saw in her; she was full of so many diverse emotional extremes that made you feel so wonderful. Quatre had to wake form his thoughts, however, because they were calling the next witness.

"Your Honor, I would like to call to the stands Mr. Kent." A tall lanky businessman stood and took his oath.

"Now, Mr. Kent. You look like a successful businessman. Please tell the jury, how do you know Ms. Tsukino?" Apolis began right away.

"I employ her during the day as my receptionist." The stern man told the court.

"And did you, prior to this trial, know about her nightly activities at the club?"

"No." He sounded completely livid at only just finding this information out.

"Now Mr. Kent, you say Ms. Tsukino is your receptionist. Tell me about some of her habits."

"Ms. Tsukino is lazy. She is consecutively late to work in the morning, she falls asleep on the job, doodles little pictures on her stationary, and brings me cold coffee." Apolis smirked slightly and Darien beamed at the new harmful information about Serena. Serena groaned slightly. And rolled her eyes. She had predicted he would act like that. She bowed her head in disappointment and though Hiiro tried to comfort her, it didn't make her feel much better.

"Would you say she is organized and responsible enough to take care of a child?" Apolis was really digging in. There was a long pause.

"Well. That's more difficult. You see, as much as she is disorganized and lazy and irresponsible, I happen t know for a fact she loves her son more than anything. Anything. She would die for that boy. I do not believe she makes a good receptionist, but I do believe she is the role model mother, especially for being single." Serena's head flipped up and she dropped her jaw in disbelief at what her boss had just said. He was always so cold and mean- she had no idea he had given her such high regard as a mother to her son. This new found information helped build hope and fuel a burning to win this court case more than ever. 

"No further questions. Your witness council." Apolis' face had gone red and puffy, but he somehow managed an evil smile at Serena before he sat to explode. Quatre stood and approached the bench.

"Now Mr. Kent. How often on a weekly basis is Serena late?" 

"Oh, once, twice. On a weekly basis you understand. If I were any other employer I would have fired her long ago."

"And why haven't you fired her then?"

"Well, regardless of my moaning that she is lazy and late and messy and disorganized, she does get the paper work done quicker than anyone I've ever met, she's always cheerful in the office, even in the mornings, and she does exceptional extra work when I ask it of her. I pay her what most receptionists get. But she earns every penny of it, where as some of the others I've had haven't."

"Then, Mr. Kent, do you find it hard to believe Serena strips?"

"Very."

"And do you think she would be capable of keeping her son from Mr. Chiba, her son's father?"

"Not really. I didn't know much of the situation before this case, but I did know he left her, not the other way around."

"That's all, thank you Mr. Kent. No further questions." Hiiro looked at Quatre and smirked. Quatre's eyes went wide with shock, but he showed no other signs of surprise. Hiiro was on top of the world. After seeing Serena's face fall earlier had had felt like shit. But now that she was beaming and her tears were gone, he felt good too. And they were winning. Who would have thought that a man like Mr. Kent, who was supposed to hurt their argument, would actually help it? It was truly amazing. Then Hiiro concentrated. New witness time.

"We call to the stand Ben Tsukino, son of Darien Chiba and Serena Tsukino." Apolis declared. Duo (who had come back in with Ben during Kent's testimony) helped little Ben to the bench. The bailiff gave Ben the oath.

"Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth so help you God?"

"Momma says not to swear. It's not polite." Said Ben. The little audience they had laughed, as did Serena, Hiiro, Duo, and Quatre.

"It's alright to swear this time." Duo told him. 

"I have to ask momma first. Momma? Can I swear please? Mr. Duo says I can!" The little boy called out. Serena looked to Quatre to see if it would be alright to speak, and when he nodded, she spoke.

"Yes baby. This isn't bad swearing, this is promising. Pinky swearing. Do you pinky swear and promise to tell the truth?" She asked her son. She had a hard time not bursting with pride; he looked so polished in his little business suit and tie.

"Ok. Then I pinky swear and promise to tell the truth." Ben told the bailiff. Duo helped Ben onto the witness stand and then stood next to him, just in case. Apolis began.

"Now Ben. Think very hard. Do you know who that man is over there?" Apolis pointed to Darien.

"Yes." Ben nodded unsteadily, as if he were trying to figure something out.

"And how do you know him?"

"I saw him being mean to momma this morning."

"Only this morning?"

"Yeah. He came in when Mr. Duo was showing me a magic trick and made fun of my momma and Mr. Hiiro."

"But you don't know who he is?" 

"Nope!" Ben shook his head happily and smiled.

"Now Ben. You mentioned a 'Mr. Hiiro'. How did you meet Mr. Hiiro?"

"Mr. Hiiro saved my life! He saved me form the school! And he got hurt. He had big ouches all up and down his tummy." Hiiro blushed deeply at this and heard Serena snigger slightly beside him. He elbowed her gently. She merely stepped on his toes in response.

"Has Mr. Hiiro ever had a gun? Have you ever seen him with one?" Quatre glowered at the nerve of this upstart lawyer. How dare he ask a four-year old if he'd seen an older person with a gun!

"Yes. Mr. Hiiro always has a gun. Except when momma took it and out it in her safe with the lock. She wouldn't give it back. It was funny!" Hiiro blushed once again. Well, at least this was helping a little bit…

"Did he ever threaten anyone with it?"

"The bad men! Mr. Hiiro got rid of the bad men!" Apolis, seeing this was going nowhere, decided to go onto a new topic.

"What does your momma do at night?"

"She works." Ben told the man, still smiling. His little legs were swinging off the chair he was seated in.

"But what does she do for work?" Apolis wanted to get out of the little boy that he knew his mother was stripping.

"I don't know." There went that thought.

"What do you do when your momma isn't home?" 

"Play with Kelly, the babysitter. She's nice. Once she recorded my voice and I got to listen to it." 

"Has your momma ever left you home alone?"

"Nope." Apolis gave up.

"No further questions. Your witness council." Apolis sat down and rubbed his temples. Quatre stood.

"Hi Mr. Quatre!"

"Hey Ben." Quatre started. "So Ben, tell me some stuff about Mr. Hiiro. Is he nice?"

"Mr. Hiiro is funny. He saved me from the bad men. He ate chocolate chip waffles with me, caught momma when she fell off the stool, and played with me. He took momma and me out to ice cream too!" 

"Has he ever been mean?" Everyone could see Ben was thinking hard.

"He talks in a low voice. But he's not mean, not ever!" Ben said proudly. 

"Would he hurt you or your momma?"

"Never ever never!" Ben said immediately and decidedly.

"No further questions. Come on Ben, you can go sit back down with Duo now." Ben hopped off the chair and bunny hopped over to Duo and sat down again grinning like mad.

"The prosecution would like to call to the stand Ms. Tsukino herself." Serena stood and took her oath. Sitting down, she noticed how much she disliked being in the spotlight, especially with Darien's eyes on her. 

"Now then, Ms. Tsukino, may I call you Serena?"

"Please." Well, at least she would feel slightly more comfortable now. Yeah right.

"Serena. You have two jobs, a two-bed/ one -bath apartment, and a son. Where do you find time to have a boyfriend like Mr. Hiiro?" That was not what she was expecting.

"Actually, Hiiro's not my boyfriend. We are just friends. How do I find the time to have him as a friend? I don't know. I guess I just do. I mean, usually whatever we do we take Ben with us."

"Really? Then why did you tell Darien he was your boyfriend?" Apolis accused.

"Because it was the only thing I could think of to get Darien off of me. Literally."

"And what about Hiiro? Had didn't hold a gun to Darien?"

"No. He held a gun to Darien. One that was not loaded with any bullets. Not to mention the fact that it was in self-defense. Darien wouldn't get off of me, and then he tried to hit Hiiro. Pure self-defense." Nothing but the truth. 

"When you say 'get Darien off of me', what do you mean?"

"I mean Darien was pulling off my clothes and touching me without my consent. I am much weaker than him, and was not able to push him off. Hiiro was really injured and couldn't use very much physical strength either."

"So he was trying to rape you?" 

"I was trying to avoid that word with my son in the room, but yes. He was." 

"Sorry. I didn't realize that." Apolis smirked. 

"Objection!" Quatre called out. "Your Honor, Mr. Apolis is patronizing the witness." 

"Objection sustained. Mr. Apolis, fall back a bit." The judge intervened.

"Of course. Now Serena, do you think exotic dancing is a good moral to teach your son?"

"No. That's why he doesn't know I do it."

"Then why do it in the first place?"

"I need the money. My day job doesn't earn enough to support Ben and I alone."

"Then you would say you need help with money? Have you ever been in debt? Late on rent?"

"Never. I do not need financial support. Ben and I were living a comfortable lifestyle, we have every necessity and more: phones, TV, computer with Internet access, food, he has toys, I have a car, and new clothes every school year. We live like the rest of society does."

"Why did you keep Ben from Darien all these years?"

"Darien threw me out. Literally. He told me to have an abortion or put Ben up for adoption. I would never, ever consider that. And now Darien wants custody of the very child he wanted me to kill? I don't feel safe thinking about it."

"Just answer the question, no more." Apolis paused." No further questions. Your witness council." Quatre stood and winked at Serena. She winked back. 

"Serena. I think we've covered pretty much everything, save one detail. How did you get here, in America?" Quatre asked. Serena breathed in deeply. So they were going to play their trump card after all.

"I came with Darien. He had promised me we would get married here. In fact, we were engaged and supposed to get married within the month he threw me out."

"Why did he throw you out?"

"I was pregnant."

"Now wait, you were pregnant the same month you were supposed to get married and he threw you out?"

"Yes."

"And did he give a reason?"

"He said I was an under age whore and he couldn't be sure about whether he child was his or not. Said I wasn't fit to be his."

"Is there any possibility that Ben isn't Darien's?" 

"None. I loved Darien with my entire heart and soul. He was my only one every. My first and only lover. And he knew it perfectly well."

"What about this underage business? How old were you when you became pregnant?"

"Fifteen. It was with my consent, but I also didn't know I couldn't marry him until I was eighteen without a parent's permission. He had lead me to believe differently."

"So you are nineteen years old, you've raised your son for four years on your own, while you were underage no less, and Darien's never once come back to find you to ask if you need help or pay child support or anything?"

"I didn't even know he was in the country until I saw him while I was dancing at the club three nights ago."

"Thank you Serena, no further questions." Apolis stood. This was his last bid, and he knew it too.*


	17. Florida is Not Repeated

~~**Brief ****Warning**: I think I get a little heated and slam Bill Clinton in here… don't hate me for it, just understand I'm a HUGE REPUBLICAN! GO BUSH! (Done now.) Oh, that and Darien is portrayed as a really evil and sick/twisted hentai in this one, so be prepared. Here we go! 

Chapter Sixteen: Florida is Not Repeated

*"I would like to call my last and final witness, Mr. Chiba to the stand." Apolis stated calmly, though inside he was in turmoil. Winner had gotten the better of him. Some how, Winner had been able to turn the tide of the court case to his favor. Curse that damned boy! Apolis had never lost a case, but it looked like this was it.

Darien stood to take the stand. He snarled slightly, knowing they were losing. How could he be losing to his measly and pathetic ex girlfriend? All he wanted was his blasted son. Then he could put the boy to work. He thought back to his last mistress, who had adored children. If women liked children so much, Ben would be a definite help in his quest for whores. And as for the rest of the time he had the boy, he would make him wash the dishes and do the other meaningless chores. And when the child got old enough, he was sure he would have a great body, better than his mother's every was, and perfect for any dirty 'favors' Darien was in the mood for. Plus, he would win money at the same time. Yes, Darien thought he had to win this case; to ensure his 'fun' future. He took his oath.

"Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?"

"Yes." He snapped all too quickly. Then he sat and smirked. 

"Now Darien. You are the father of Ms. Tsukino's son Benjamin, is this true?" Apolis began small. He wanted to build to his climax. He thought it might give him an edge over the jury.

"That is right."

"Tell me, how did you find out Serena was pregnant with him?"

"She walked in and gave me a home pregnancy test. It was positive."

"She didn't warn you she hadn't been on the pill?"

"That's right. I thought she had been."

"Now Darien, did you ever promise to love her?"

"Of course. I did love her at one time. But everyone grows out of love eventually. I never gave her any indication we were going to be married. She assumed that on her own." It was only a little fib. What harm could it do if it helped him to win the trial? Besides, who really took all that "I love you, let's get married" jargon seriously anyway? Serena apparently. 

" Could you please tell me how you broke up with her?"

"Well, I did know she was pregnant, but I was gentle about it. I didn't think I was ready to be a father. Now I'm positive I am and would love my son very much if I had custody of him."

"Then why didn't you contact Serena all these years?"

"I didn't know she was still here in the states. That, and I thought she would have given the baby up for adoption, or gotten an abortion or something. I never expected her to keep it."

"Why not?"

"Serena isn't what I would call responsible. She's rather klutzy and acts childish most of the time." Serena was livid with rage. But under the heat of her anger, she was bleeding inside. It hurt to hear Darien, the one she had loved for so very long, out right telling a group of people that he disliked her and that she wasn't worth a dime to him. It was an insult to her as a woman and as a person, but all she could think about was how much it hurt her to know he felt this way about her. Had he always thought this way? He was mentally sick…

"But when you saw her at the strip club, you realized differently?" Apolis questioned Darien. Darien's testimony might actually do the trick and give them the edge they needed to win!

"Right. I confronted her about it after her 'show' and asked to see my son. She denied me and finally, when I threatened to sue, she let me see him."

"What environment does she live in?"

"She lives in a filthy and messy apartment. It's poorly lit and has very little furniture."

"Objection!" Quatre cried out. This time Darien had gone too far. He was lying under oath! He reminded Quatre of that god-awful President the U.S. had had only a few years back- Bill Clinton. Clinton had lied to the American people to save his sorry ass, and now Darien was doing just the same. Lying under oath to save his argument. Well, Clinton may have gotten away with it, but Darien Chiba wouldn't. 

"And you object to?" Apolis sneered. 

"Darien's… err, Mr. Chiba is lying under oath! I know it for a fact. I would like to submit these pictures as evidence." Quatre, silently praising Trowa for suggesting they take pictures of Serena's apartment, took out the pictures and brought them to the judge. The judge began to look at them, but was cut short by another yell.

"Objection! Your Honor, the prosecution had no prior knowledge of these pictures and asks that they be thrown out as insufficient evidence." Apolis cried, trying to stop Quatre's new information before it did more damage to their argument.

"Objection overruled. Mr. Winner, these pictures do prove that the living conditions are better than Mr. Chiba states they are, but they do not prove enough to suggest he is lying. The prosecution may resume the questioning." Quatre, only half satisfied, sat down slightly put out. He felt a warm hand gently come to rest on his shoulder. Turning to see who it was, he found Serena staring back at him with happy eyes, though they were slightly red and puffy. 

"It's alright Quatre, Thank you for objecting though. I really appreciate it." She told him. He blushed slightly.

"That's my job Ms. Serena, don't worry about it." She smiled but said nothing in reply. 

"Well then, Darien. Now you say you believe Serena is unfit to be mother, so you simply want to do what's best for your son?"

"That's right." Darien nodded, trying to look innocent.

"That'll be all Mr. Chiba. Council, your witness." Apolis sat down with a smug grin. Winner's team no longer had a lead.

"Thank you. Now then, Mr. Chiba. When you broke up with Serena, hoe much money did you give her?" Quatre began.

"Oh, a hundred dollars or so. You see, I was poor myself at the time."

"Hmm. Would you say Serena is a liar?"

"No, not really. She's pretty good about that sort of thing." 

"Then repeat for me, how much money did you give her when you threw her out?"

"Uh, eighty bucks?"

"Try again Mr. Chiba." Quatre pressed.

"Fifty."

"Hmm."

"Twenty?" By this time Apolis had his head in his hands and was practically crying. Damnit, Darien had just sealed the fate of the trial. They were sure to lose now.

"One more time Mr. Chiba. How much did you give her?" Quatre badgered him.

"Ok, I gave her nothing. No money, no job, no home, food, clothes, nothing! Are you happy now? Are you?" Darien cracked. Then, realizing what he had just said, he shook his head and buried it in his arms. It was game over now, Serena win, Darien lose. Why fight it any longer?

"Only one more question for you Darien. The night you made Serena show you Ben; did you try to touch her in any way? And I do mean _any_?" Quatre breathed silently and Serena felt herself hold her breath. In fact, she could have sworn that at that very second her heart beat had stopped so she could listen to Darien's answer.

"No." Quatre stared hard at him. Darien simply averted his gaze to some where else. Somewhere he should not have. His eyes landed on icy deep blue eyes; eyes with such hatred in their glare that he gulped and had to blink back tears. Hiiro had perfected that death glare of his in the short time the trial had started. Suddenly Darien's demons began eating at his insides and his psyche unlocked the skeletons in his closet. 

"Ok, I confess! I tried to touch her! Yes! God I wanted her so bad! But then her stupid boyfriend pulled me away and threatened to kill me with a gun. I don't think that's a very good environment for a child! Alright, I've confessed! Can I go now?" 

"Yes. No further questions." Darien's face was beat red with embarrassment and tears as he stepped form the witness stand back to his seat. Quatre, on the other hand, was jumping inside for joy. They had this one bagged! He turned to look at Darien's to lawyers who were conversing with him quietly. Soon, the one who had been quiet the whole trial stood, gathered his papers, and walked out of the room. Apolis soon followed. Darien sat alone, his demeanor back to it's unfeeling heartless version.

"Those were the last of our witnesses your Honor." Darien told the judge uncertainly.

"Where did your lawyers go?" The judge asked Darien.

"They quit. I will be continuing in their place." Darien told him snobbishly.

"Very well. Defense? Your witnesses?" The judge said, tuning to Quatre. Quatre stopped to converse with Serena, Hiiro, and Trowa and Wufei. Then he stood.

"In light of the direction this trial has taken, we have decided to forgo our witnesses and are ready for the jury to begin their decision making." Quatre said, gulping mildly and hoping his decision was the best one possible. After all, they only had one more witness than those already called- did Hiiro really need to testify? Quatre thought it wouldn't matter. By now Darien had dug himself a hole so deep that he had no chance of getting out of it in time to win the trial.

"Very well, and does the prosecution agree to the defense's request for the jury to begin coming to their verdict?" Darien looked stupefied. He had no idea what was going on or what to say in defense of himself. He had no choice.

"The prosecution agrees." He gulped and Hiiro could see him visibly begin to shake.

"Very well then. Court is adjourned for one hour. The jury will give their verdict at that point in time." The Judge pounded him mallet on his desk and stood to leave the room. Well, this was it. In one hour they would find out who was the innocent and who was the guilt party.

"Well, while we're all waiting, why don't we go out for lunch?" Quatre suggested, trying to brighten the mood of their group.

"Duo already took Ben out to lunch." Trowa informed him.

"Great. Then the two kids are taken care. Now us adults can have some peace and quiet." Quatre joked. Everyone stared at him.

"Quatre? Making fun of Duo? I thought I'd never be so happy." Wufei remarked and smirked. Everyone else began to laugh.

"I try, I try." Quatre said, causing everyone to laugh harder. 

"Then let's go for food." Trowa stated warmly as he lead Serena out of the courtroom. He also took the time to note the wonderful expression on Hiiro's face when he looped his arm through Serena's. So the Perfect Soldier _could_ be jealous. This was new information. Fun, blackmail information.

The group headed towards the small sandwich restaurant across the street form the courthouse. When they entered the café, Serena slightly shied back. There were so many people, most of them lawyer-looking businessmen, pushing and shoving. She wasn't sure if this was such a good idea. She had never been one to like crowds. She somehow lost Trowa's arm and found herself alone in the giant crowd. Looking around frantically, she couldn't see anyone she knew, not Quatre, Trowa, Wufei, or…

"You look lost angel. Heaven's above you, but I wish you'd stay on earth." A giant burly man with greasy slicked back hair and a blue business suit on put his hands around her waist. While she had been looking for her friends, some guys at a nearby table had spotted her and her worried expression. They had dared each other to make a move on her, and one of the actually had enough courage to do so.

"The only one who's lost around here is you. Heck's straight down for you information." She told him bluntly. She may be scared, but she did have her dignity. The guys from the man's table laughed. She shrugged the man's hands off from around her waist and continued looking for the guys.

"Hey baby, no need to be so harsh. Heck wasn't hot enough without a chick like yourself down there." He tried to smile handsomely and failed miserably. The only thing Serena saw was the disgusting fakeness that oozed form every pore on the man.

"Look, You want some one hot, go to the equator. I'm from Alaska. Now get lost." She flipped around and ignored him once more.

"Now, now baby, is that anyway to treat a guy who's just trying to compliment the only angel he's ever seen on earth?" Serena balked. Was this guy ever going to take the hint and get his pathetic face out of hers?

" Look, I've said it before and I'll say it again. Get lost." He made a grab for her wrist.

"Come on baby, don't play mean. How about we go grab a bite to eat, somewhere where we can alone?"

"She said no. More than once in fact. Get lost." A dark voice came form behind the man. The man, still holding Serena's wrist, flipped around to face the person behind him, dragging Serena along with him.

"Hey buddy, it's none of your business what she said or what she didn't say, so get lost! And if I ev-er…" The man stopped mid sentence and looked up into the flaming with rage icy blue eyes.

"Let her go." Hiiro commanded.

"Yes sir. As I was just saying, she's not really my type, and uh, here you go." He flung Serena around at Hiiro.

"Serry?" Hiiro asked her, ignoring the gawking man before them.

"I'm fine Hiiro, thanks." She gave him her one hundred watt smile, and he smiled as well. 

"You know this guy?" The stunned businessman asked Serena.

"Yeah." She paused. She winked at Hiiro and turned back to the creep. "He's my boyfriend." The man's jaw dropped to the floor and he stuttered and backed away.

"Boy, boy, boyfriend? See you!" With that the man stumbled back to his table, still keeping a close and wary eye on Hiiro. When he was out of sight, Hiiro and Serena laughed. 

"Sorry I wasn't here earlier." He told her.

"It's alright. Thanks for getting rid of him for me."

"No problem." They both paused for a minute. "Serry, would you like to go somewhere else? With me? For lunch?" Her breath caught. What could she say? He was so innocent looking, so sweet. 

"Yeah." She told him breathlessly. Let's get out of here." They both smiled lightly and turned to the door. Just then a cop entered.

"All people from the Yui/ Tsukino case please return to the court room, the verdict is in." The cop announced. Serena and Hiiro looked at each other. 

"So much for lunch." She said.

"Hnn." Was his response. She grinned. So he was back to the grunting, huh? Well, she was only slightly nervous. But he was tense. What would the verdict be?*

Ready to kill me yet? I just LOVE dragging things out… I know what happens, I know what happens… ;P


	18. The Verdict's In!

Chapter Seventeen: The Verdict's In!

*"Order, order! This court case of Chiba vs. Tsukino will now resume. The jury, I assume, has reached a verdict?" The judge called the trial to order shortly after they had all settled back into their seats. Serena looked around nervously. It was not so much that she was worried about the verdict, no, she had faith in Quatre for that one. She was more concerned because Duo and Ben had yet to return from lunch. However, she knew Duo would never let anything happen to Ben, so she tried to put aside her fears and concentrate on the proceedings. 

"Your Honor, we as the jury have made our decision." A woman stood from the side of the jury box to inform the judge. Hiiro just sat in a nerve-racking state. Of course, on the outside he was cool as a cucumber. He couldn't drop his Perfect Soldier façade just for this trial. And it wasn't so much the trial that made him nervous. It was something else. He just felt uneasy, end of story. He couldn't explain it any better than that. He snuck a quick peak at Serena. He could tell she was anxiously awaiting the return of Ben and Duo, not nervous about the trial. 

"We the jury…" 'Here we go." Thought Serena and Hiiro in unison. As they thought this, they managed to somehow link hands and draw strength from each other in the tense moment before the verdict.

"We the jury find the defendant, Serena Tsukino, guilty of assaulting Mr. Chiba." Both Serena and Hiiro's jaws dropped in disbelief. The jury was siding against them? "However," continued the woman. "We believe the assault was committed in an act of pure self defense and nothing more. Therefore we find the defendant, Serena Tsukino, innocent of all charges."

Serena's hand flew to her mouth. So she was innocent? Stars! For a minute there she had thought the jury was against her! She would get to keep Ben! 

"Also," the woman juror continued. "We find Mr. Chiba guilty of sexual assault, evasion of child support, and statutory rape." This time it was Darien's jaw that dropped in disbelief. He hadn't even been counter sued and he was getting the guilty verdict? He looked over towards Serena. He could see her perfect red lips tipped in a gentle and happy smile. Even in the dingy light of the courtroom he could see what a mistake he had made when he had let her go. What a fool he had been to let her get away. And now, here he was, stuck in this God-awful mess because of his own foolishness. 

"Well, then, seeing as how you, Ms. Tsukino, are innocent, all charges Mr. Chiba had charged you with are now dropped. As for yourself Mr. Chiba, if Ms. Tsukino does not wish to press charges, you are free to go. If, however, she does, I will set another court date for your trial. Ms. Tsukino?" Serena leaned over to consult with Quatre for a moment. 

"Your Honor, my client would not care to press charges against Mr. Chiba." Quatre stated. 

"Very well. Mr. Chiba, though Ms. Tsukino is not pressing charges against you, for the discomfort you have caused her, I am hereby awarding her an extra five hundred dollars. Case dismissed." With that, the judge banged his mallet down onto his stand and stood to leave the room. Serena stayed sitting while Quatre, Trowa, Wufei and Hiiro all stood. 

"Congrats Serena, you won!" Quatre told her enthusiastically. 

"Yes woman. I express my happiness at your victory." Wufei said, slightly put out. 

"I'm happy you won Serena." Trowa said. "Serena?"

"I'm fine. Just in a daze. I won. For the first time ever, I'm free of Darien." The bliss that shone in the abyss of her sapphire eyes made Hiiro's heart pump faster than ever. She was so beautiful when she was happy like that.

"Here's your damn check." Darien said tartly as he practically threw the little slip of paper at Serena, breaking the silent reverie she had been in.

"Thank you Darien."

"Yeah right. Just remember. You could have had me." With that, he leaned over, put his hand behind Serena's head, and pulled her in for a passionate and bruising kiss. Though she tried to fight it, even after all these years, Darien still made her body react in ways that would make a saint flush bright red. She couldn't help but kiss back just a little. When Darien broke the kiss, she wiped her mouth and glared at him.

"Deny it all you want Sere, but you want me. Even after all these years, you still want me."

"Don't lie to yourself Chiba, denial isn't just a river." She told him briskly, picking up her purse and standing.

"Keep telling yourself that Sere. One day you'll come crawling back to me with that little brat of a child with you. Then what will I say? Well, I might take you in out of pity but I highly doubt that."

"Momma?" Ben came running in from the doorway, Duo still standing in it.

"Let's go Ben." She said sharply as she picked him up and strolled from Darien's laughing form, head held high. Darien looked from Quatre to Trowa to Wufei and Duo and let his eyes finally rest on Hiiro.

"She's not that great in bed, so unless she's already giving you some, I suggest you dump her." Hiiro had a wonderful amount of patience. Usually he managed to stay perfectly cool, even with Duo in the room. But that was under normal circumstances. This time Darien had gone too far. Insulting Serena's claim to innocence was high treason in his book. Hiiro moved up closer to him. Much closer.

"You only describe yourself _Darien._" With that, Hiiro let a giant punch wind up and release smack dab in the middle of Darien's face. His scream was a wonderful sound, almost musical to Hiiro's ears. He decided he wanted more of that sound. Taking hold of Darien's shoulders, he pulled Darien in closer to him and whispered in his ear.

"I'm going to hurt you so bad you'll never be able to have _fun_ with a woman again." With that, Hiiro kneed Darien in the groin good and hard, this time hearing a solid crunch. He liked that sound even better. Dropping Darien to the floor, Hiiro grabbed his coat off the back of his chair and simply strolled out of the door, followed by four other smirking guys. Darien still lay on the floor, gasping in unimaginable pain.

)(

"Come on Hiiro. You have to eat something." Quatre chided him. It had been four days since the trial had ended. It had been four days since Hiiro had beaten the crap out of Darien. It had been four days since he had seen Serena and Ben, and it had been four days since Hiiro had touched one crumb of food. His friends were sure it was just him being stubborn, but he knew what it was. It was his own stomach rejecting the food. It did not want to eat, it felt too queasy at the prospect of never seeing Serena again. The day after the trial had ended he had decided to not go back and visit Serena or Ben ever again. 

Sure, when he had needed help after being in that blown up building it had been ok to think he could possibly have a relationship with her, but now that he was out of her apartment and away from her influence, his mind was functioning properly. It was once again telling him to steer clear of the angel that had helped him, otherwise he would fall in love, and that was something he could not risk. However, deep within his heart and soul, he recognized that he had already betrayed his mind and fallen for her. Very hard. 

Yes. He was going through Serena withdrawal, and nothing anyone could say or do would help him get through it any faster or easier. It physically hurt him knowing he had to stay away from her forever. And it hurt his heart to think about her, which he did constantly and could not stop. So now here he was, stuck with a dying soul and a living body. And still he continued to deny to himself and to all others that he, Hiiro Yui, the Perfect Soldier, had fallen in love.

"Please Hiiro man, you have to eat sometime." Duo pleaded with him through the door. Still nothing worked. All the guys were getting more and more worried about their friend by the minute. He would eat. He wouldn't sleep. He wouldn't leave his room. He hadn't bathed in four days. This was getting more serious every waking hour. Their buzzer rang and they hoped against all odds that this ring would help to somehow cure a miserable and heartbroken Hiiro. Trowa opened the door to reveal Hilde.

"Hey Trowa!" She exclaimed brightly. 

"Hey Hilde. Duo's in the hall outside Hiiro's door." He told her pointedly.

"That's nice. So Hiiro's still in his bedroom, huh?" 

"Yeah." 

"Perfect. I'll be right back. Why don't you get the rest of the guys and go out to dinner or to a movie or something?" She called over her shoulder as she walked back towards the elevator. 

"Wait, you're not going out with Duo?"

"Not tonight!" Was her vague term. All Trowa could do was shrug and go to gather the rest of the guys for whatever movie was playing at the theatre around the block. He had learned over the two years Duo had been dating Hilde that it was better just to comply to her requests instead of questioning. As they were all gathering their coats, Hilde came strolling back in their open apartment door, followed by none other than Serena herself. Each was carrying a medium sized canvas bag. 

"Serena?" Quatre said quietly so as not to disturb Hiiro with the name. "What are you doing here?"

"Hilde called me. I heard she needed help cheering one of you up. So which one of you is the depressee?" She grinned whole-heartedly at her comment.

"Hiiro is." Trowa answered her.

"Yeah. Hilde babe, you're so smart. We should have called you to tell you to call Serena in the first place." Duo said, embracing her and kissing her cheek.

"Of course! I always know what to do!" Hilde said jokingly while leaning into Duo even more. "On second thought Trowa, I think maybe Duo's going to take me out to dinner tonight. I'm sure Serena can handle the Perfect Soldier on her own."

"What? But I…" Serena stuttered. This was not what she had been expecting.

"Serena, you'll be fine. And anyway, Hiiro's going through Serry-withdrawal. It'll help to see you." Duo told her.

"Serry-withdrawal?" Serena asked confused. All of them laughed. 

"See you later Serena!" They each called as they left her alone in their living room, pondering what they had meant.

"And Tsukino, Yui hasn't eaten or bathed in four days. Fix him, his room is beginning to smell." Wufei called as the elevator doors closed on them. Serena could hear the laughter in his voice. Closing her eyes, she breathed in deeply a few times. Well, she had said she would help, and help she would. 

Quietly humming, she placed her bags on the large mahogany table in their eating corner and opened them up. Out came bubble bath, soap, and the biggest, warmest, and fluffiest towel she could find. Hilde had suggested bringing them even though it was a guy she would be helping to cheer up. By Wufei's comment, she now knew why. If Hiiro hadn't bathed or eaten in four days, he would first off take a bath or shower- no matter what. She also pulled out of the other bag some food, which she intended to prepare for Hiiro. First she ran a bath in the bathroom. She put the bubbles in (though she doubted Hiiro would like them very much). Then she brought the food into their kitchen and began heating the soup in a pot. Into the oven went a tray, and finally she had nothing else to do but confront him. 

Wasting no time, Serena moved to the hallway Hilde had indicated the bedrooms would be in, and found the only room with the door shut tightly. Knocking on it gently, she refrained from saying anything as of yet.

"Go. away." Was the wonderfully sour response she received through the door. That was it. If Hiiro had acted like this the last four days, she could understand why his friends were so worried and tired looking. Well, he wouldn't get away with it on her watch. Bending over, she checked the lock. Ha! It was just like her old bedroom's lock. Taking one of the hairpins from her hair, she picked the lock gently. The door swung open easily and she gained her first glimpse into the life of Hiiro Yui. The plain room was a sterile black. The furniture was dark colored wood, and the bed was all in black. The curtains were drawn over the windows and the lights were off. Only the bluish glow of a laptop on the desk lit the room. And Wufei had been right about the smell. What a depressing place to sleep! No wonder Hiiro felt so sad. She found Hiiro was stretched across bed, fully clothed save for shoes, and that he was holding a gun pointing directly at her head. 

"Get out." He said. Time for her to be bold.

"No." She replied as darkly as possible. "Hiiro, it's me, Serena." He kept his gun pointed at her.

"Leave."

"No." She marched up to him and pulled the gun from his grip. Engaging the safety, she tossed it off to some hidden corner of the room. "Hiiro, look at yourself. You're a mess! You haven't showered or shaved in days! Or eaten for that matter! Your friends are worried sick over you and here you are moping about like your feelings are the only ones that matter remotely in this God-forsaken world! Well, frankly, we've had it! I've had it! You aren't the only one with feelings you know!"

"Get. Out." Was all his reply was. He had to stay distant. He couldn't let her get to him. He couldn't…

"No. Stop being such a baby and grow up. Now I don't know what's made you so depressed all of a sudden, but whatever it is, put it out of your mind! You need to get over it!"

"You don't know… you don't know what is killing me? What's eating my insides? How can you not know? You're here, you're there, you're everywhere! How can you not know?" This time he was trying to stand, but he was swaying too much to look very scary.

"That's it. Are you drunk on top of it? I thought you were better than that! I thought I could count on you! But you're no better than Darien or that man in the restaurant!"

"Damnit! I'm not drunk! I don't drink! And while we're on the subject, I don't smoke, I don't do any drugs, and I put the lid to the toilet seat down! Is that enough? Are you happy now?"

"No! And I won't be until you mellow out and tell me what's wrong? And how could I possibly know what's wrong with you? I'm not everywhere!"

"Leave." He sat back down and buried his head in his hands. "Just go."

"That's it. You pushed my limit Mr. Now you're going to get it!" Taking the closest thing to her (which happened to be Hiiro's alarm clock) she whacked him on the head. He fell with a groan to the floor. Dropping the clock, she picked up his arms and began dragging him to the bathroom. Though it was a chore for her small body and tiny muscles, she somehow managed to get him all the way into the bathroom and up the one step so that he lay next to the bubble filled tub. One push was all it would take. She pushed. He landed with a splash and opened his eyes, fluttering them and gasping for air.

"Serena?" He asked in confusion. How had she possibly done it? She, a little girl, had downed the Perfect Soldier, the man who had trained for a lifetime to be as good as he was. And worse than that, he knew she had downed him in more ways than just this one. 

"That's right. I'm not so nice when I want to be. Now, are you going to tell me what the deal is, or do I have to grab the scrub brush and wash you the way I washed Ben when he was younger?" She was half smirking and half serious and gentle. He loved it when she was like that. Such an adult form of teasing; laughter hidden within her deep eyes. No. He couldn't do this again!

"Look. I know you want to help. But you're only making it worse, so just go." He told her coldly. 

"How? What am I making worse?" She knew she was getting somewhere. She just didn't have a clue as to where.

"Leave." He commanded again. He had to be strong.

"Leave? Hmm so he wants me to leave? Fine then. I'll just get closer." She said aloud, much like she was talking to herself. 

"Huh?" He said. 

"You heard me big boy. I'll just get closer." Slipping out of her shoes, she placed on leg into the tub. Another soon followed that one leg, and then she was sitting directly across from him in the hot bubble bath. 

"What are you…?" He asked her, his voice hoarse. She was winning, he could tell.

"I'm getting closer to you. You see Hiiro, if you won't tell me what's wrong, I'll just have to get closer to you until you do. And if I'm your problem, then you don't want that to happen, so you'd better talk, because you obviously don't want me any nearer to you." She rationalized for him.

"I, I, I, Gods, why are you doing this to me? What did I do to deserve this?" He moaned to himself.

"Deserve what? Hiiro, if I've done something so awful, so completely wretched that you don't want me near you, why can't you tell me what it is? Am I that bad?"

"No." Oh yes, she was definitely getting somewhere. He was back to his one word grunt language. It was beginning to become her favorite really, it was. 

"Don't start with the one word answers with me Hiiro. It may work with your friends, but not with me." He looked up and happened to scan over her body at the same time. Once again dressed in a pair of jean shorts and a tiny pale pink tank top, she looked hilarious. Suddenly he couldn't remember why he had been so depressed. He must have been upset over something, because here she was, the prettiest woman he had ever met, next to him in a bubble bath, both fully clothed, and she had bubbles on her nose. He couldn't help it. He couldn't contain it. He laughed. He laughed good, he laughed long, and he laughed hard. And it felt great.

"What? What? All of a sudden you go from Mr. dark and depressed to Mr. happy-go-lucky? I don't think so buddy, it doesn't work like that. What's going on with you?" She asked, crossing her arms and narrowing her eyes. She found he just laughed harder than before.

"You… You've got bubbles on your nose!" She reached up to her face, and felt the white fluff. She flushed bright pink.

"So I have. Now will you please tell me what's bothering you?" She pleaded with him, giving him her best puppy dog look. He stalled for a moment, thinking of what to say. 

"You. You were bothering me. You see, I missed you." He told her quite seriously. Then he broke out laughing again. 

"Huh?" She replied. He reached over and pulled her into a sloppy and wet hug. She returned it gently, still stunned at his sudden change in attitude. He pulled back slightly, and looked into her blue eyes. They were filled with worry and concern, all for him. He felt special, blessed, that such a wonderful and caring woman would hold so many emotions for him. Overcome with raging emotions and loneliness, he drew her in closer to him, bringing his lips dangerously close to hers. Just as they brushed against hers, he felt her draw back and pull him into a gentle hug instead. For now he would have to settle for a hug. No more, but certainly no less. 

"Do me a favor?" He asked her.

"What?" She asked back skeptically.

"Leave so I can take a proper bath. Without clothes." She blushed even deeper than before and he winked. She giggled and then laughed heartily. 

"Very well then Mr. Yui, I leave you to your bath. And when you come out, you will eat?"

"Sounds great, I'm starving."

"I'll bet." She told him sarcastically.

"I am!" He insisted. 

"Well that's because you were idiotic enough to starve yourself for four days! You're a growing boy! You need your food!" She exclaimed, standing and reaching for a towel. 

"Hey, let's not forget, I'm a man, not a boy." He told her sternly.

"Yeah, you're a man alright. Who could forget?" She replied quietly and more reserved as she walked out the bathroom door, shutting it behind her.*


	19. Home for the Holidays

Chapter Eighteen: Home for the Holidays

*He stepped out of his room completely dry and clean. Hiiro had finished his bath and gone back into his room to find the curtains were wide open, as was the window. His bed sheets had been replaced with pristine white ones as opposed to his dirty black ones. The room already smelled better, and his clothes were laid out for him. Serena had been a busy little bee while he had bathed. Then he had smelled the wonderful aroma from the kitchen and rushed to get dressed. So cleaning wasn't all she had done while he had been bathing. As his bare feet padded into the kitchen over the bare and cold floor of the apartment, he silently smiled. 

Hiiro felt better than he had in a long time. Even though he knew he shouldn't be doing what he was. Even though he knew that in the end someone would only end up getting hurt, even though he knew it would never work out, he was still going to let things play out here as if he didn't know. He would rather be blissfully ignorant of the future than have to believe it was already set in stone. He saw Serena, still in her wet clothes, swaying her hips to the beat of the music the radio was blasting, and dancing around the kitchen while stirring whatever was in a pot on the stove and checking whatever was in the oven. Sneaking up behind her, he grabbed hold of her hips and began swaying to the beat with her. 

Serena had been completely unaware that Hiiro was behind her. She was happy just to be minding her own business and cooking. In the pot on the stove was simmering clam chowder soup, and in the oven were little corn bread muffins baking. The perfect meal to fill someone who hadn't eaten in a while. That, and it was the perfect meal for a night like this one. She glanced out the window for the third time in the last ten minutes. It looked like it was going to pour any minute. One of her favorite songs had just come on the radio, and she couldn't help but move in rhythm with the beat of the upbeat music. She swayed until she felt two strong hands gently clasp around her waist and begin to move with her. 

"Hiiro?" 

"Hmm?"

"What are you doing?"

"Dancing with you." 

"Oh." She was blushing by now.

"I like this song." He told her. "What station is this?" 

"106.5. They play everything. Except that rap."

"Yeah, I'm not big on that stuff either." He replied. They fell into silence for a while. Then a timer went off and she had to break away for their warm position to get the muffins out of the oven. While she removed them, she caught Hiiro taking a quick peek at what was in the pot on the stove.

"You do like clam chowder, don't you?"

"Never had it." He told her.

"Never?" She asked in disbelief. 

"Never. Is it good?"

"Incredibly. I think you'll like it." 

"Good. I'm hungry, let's eat."

"Wait, I didn't have a chance to set the table yet, and I need to find the glasses and bowls to serve us, and…"

"Let's eat on the couch. And the spoons are in the drawer in front of you. I'll get the glasses and bowls. Relax a little, would you?"

"Sorry. I'm just so used to doing everything on my own. Are you sure we can eat on the couch?"

"Yeah, Duo does it all the time."

"Great. That really helps make me feel better about doing it." He laughed as he filled the glasses with milk and she the bowls with the soup.

"Ok, got everything?" She asked him.

"Soup and spoon, check. Milk, check. Napkin, check. Corn muffin, check. I have everything. And you?"

"Got it all. Let's hit the couch."

)(

"You know, still haven't told me why you were so depressed these last few days." She told him gently. Since they had finished dinner they had moved to the floor. Hiiro had built a fire after the power had gone out and they now sat in front of it nestled within a giant blanket. 

"As Duo put it, I was going through Serry-withdrawal." He told her.

"Yes, he told me that too. But I don't get it. What do you mean, 'Serry-withdrawal'? If you missed me so much, why didn't you just come over and visit?" 

"I couldn't." 

"Why not? You didn't have to work, and I've been home. You know where I live."

"I couldn't because I promised myself I wouldn't. You don't understand what it's like for me to be around you. I like you. I like you so much that I want to be with you all the time. But it will only end up hurting one of us, I know that. I figured that if I steered clear of you I wouldn't have to deal with it. Apparently I was wrong. I nearly went crazy without you. I thought of you all the time. I couldn't help it. Every time I'd fall asleep I'd dream of you. Every time I heard your name, Ben's name, I thought of you. I couldn't help it. But I couldn't subject us to that. And then you show up spoiling my solitude."

"So you starve yourself because you didn't want to hurt yourself? That's real smart." She told him.

"No. I starved myself so I wouldn't hurt you or me."

"But you still hurt yourself." She was speaking so quietly that he almost had to strain to hear her.

"I would rather hurt myself than you." He told her, gazing down at her with some unreadable emotion within his eyes.

"How do you know you weren't hurting me as well?"

"Huh? How could I have hurt you by not eating?" He asked her. 

"It hurts me to see you hurt, and you were hurting yourself by not eating or taking care of yourself. Hiiro, that's extremely dangerous." She refused to look up and let him see her blurry eyes. 

"I didn't think…" He began.

"No, you didn't." She cut him off. 

"I'm sorry. If it makes you feel any better, I had good intentions in my mind." He told her gently.

"Good intentions is not visiting me anymore? Hiiro, I don't know if you know this, but the last week has been like heaven for me. I don't think I've ever felt so happy and relaxed as after I met you. If you stop coming around, it would hurt me more than if we decide to date and then break up."

"Date?"

"Yes Hiiro, date. It's when two people go out to a movie or a restaurant and have fun with each other while getting to know each other. Often times it ends up in either break ups or marriage."

"Thank you miss dictionary, I know what a date is. I may not go out on them, but I do have friends who do." He smirked.

"Well, some time it seems like you're just a little prehistoric in your thoughts. Just wanted to make sure you had the right idea is all." 

"You're salty tonight, you know that? First you pick the lock on my bedroom door. Then you hit me with an alarm clock. Next I'm throw head first into a hot bubble bath fully clothed and you get in next to me. And now, here we are and you, of all people, are making fun of my dating skills."

"When I'm good I'm good, what can I say?" She looked up and grinned. Her breath caught. Was it just her, or was it getting hotter by the second in the room? He looked perfect tonight. His clean silky hair was tousled and gently brushed into his deep, dark blue eyes. He looked slightly pale in the firelight, but healthy enough to tell he was in wonderful shape. A strong jaw defined by a proud chin and a slightly upturned mouth were almost irresistibly inviting and she had a hard time pushing the unholy thoughts from her mind. Traveling down she could barely see the black t-shirt and sweat pants he was wearing under the thick wool blanket he had wrapped around them both hours earlier. 

"Something wrong?" He teased her when he saw she was blushing a pale pink over her already pristine ashen skin. Her breath caught in her chest and it was hard to move and breathe, let alone speak.

"No. Nothing at all." She breathed lightly.

"Then you won't stop me if I try to kiss you- will you?"

"Hmm? No…" She didn't know what she was saying. Her eyes were fastened to his in a desperate attempt to read his emotions and thoughts. 

"Good." He leaned in, his eyes never leaving hers. The closer he got, the closer she moved her own head in. Inch by inch, centimeter by centimeter until finally they could feel each other's breath hot on their lips. Heart rate rose and adrenalin rushed, pumping fire through each of their veins until Serena pushed him back slightly and pecked his cheek. 

"So where are you doing for Christmas? Anything special? After all, it's only half a week away." Damn! He had been so close! He mentally sighed. All this suspense was driving him batty, not to mention tiring him out beyond belief. But, if he had to wait, so be it. He was wearing her, down, he could tell. Sort of.

"I don't know."

"You don't know? Neither do I. Christmas used to always be my favorite time of year. You know, everyone would be so happy and in such a great mood. And the decorations we used to put up at home! A Christmas tree with all the trimmings, stockings over the mantle, good old Christmas cookies for Santa Claus, mistletoe, the works. And we used to sit around the fire and sing Christmas carols and my dad used to read ''Twas the Night Before Christmas' to us while we sat and drank eggnog and cocoa. And every Christmas morning, just like clock work, my little brother Sammy would wake us up to go down and open presents. Then we would have a huge breakfast and play in the snow all day long. My happiest memories of home are of Christmas time. And at night! I went to my friend Rei's Christmas party every year. Except the year before I left home with Darien. They didn't really like him, but did I listen? No! I had to be the stubborn one! But those sure were good times." Hiiro watched her throughout her rant. He loved watching her when her eyes began to glitter and shine like they were now. She sounded so happy and it made him wonder if she wasn't just a little homesick for her old friends and family.

"What did you used to do for Christmas Hiiro?" She asked him. Hmm, that was tough. What did he used to do?

"Not much. I lived with first an assassin named Odin Lowe, and then when he was killed during a fight, an old doctor took me in and trained me. We didn't do much for any holidays." He told her.

"Nothing? Not even once?" She prodded him. He thought long and hard. Well, maybe, there was that one time…

"Once, I think it was Christmas, Dr. J. took me to a store and told me I could pick out anything I wanted and I could have it. I picked out a small stuffed bear and he bought it for me. That same night he cooked for the first and only time for me. I felt lucky that he cared enough to even pay attention to me that I ate whatever it was that he made even though it tasted awful. That is my best and only happy memory. Two years later Dr. J. died and I joined the SWAT team recruits. I met the guys there, and we've been a team ever since. Usually I work on Christmas though."

"Work on Christmas? That's horrible? They ought to make a law against it!" She cried in outrage.

"It's fine. It seems to me that you miss your family." He told her.

"I, err, well, yeah. Yeah, I do. I miss them a lot. Do you know how many times I've thought about calling? Or just going home and visiting? But every time I think about it, I reason out that they probably don't want a reject like me around to screw up their happy and routine lifestyle." She said quietly. He noticed the volume change in her voice and pulled her into a hug. She returned it and melded into his warm and strong arms, drawing strength from his.

"I think you should go visit them this Christmas. Take Ben with you. At least then you'll know if they hate you or except you back." He told her.

"I couldn't. I could face Darien, sure, but I had you. And your friends. But mostly you helped me. I don't think I could do this on my own. What will my parents say about Ben? That he's a bastard child and that we're unwanted? Then where will I go? I don't know…"

"But you miss them. And one way or another, Ben needs to know about his mother's family. This would be the perfect opportunity."

"But I'm too scared to go all on my own."

"You won't be alone." He tried to console her.

"Oh yeah? And how will I not be alone? You going to come with me?" She wiped her tears away with the back of her hand and gave a short laugh. "You going to come and hold my father back while I tell him I have a kid and I'm not married and I'm a stripper for a living?"

"Maybe." 

"Maybe? What's that supposed to mean?" She asked him, suddenly serious.

"Do you want me to come with you to Tokyo for Christmas?"

"You, you would do that, for me?"

"If you ask my to, yes."

"Why?" It was such a simple question, yet it burned a hole into his mind. Why was he offering to help her? Why did he care so much about her happiness? Why was he risking everything of his for her? Why?

"Because. I want you to be happy."

"But why? What about me makes you want to make me happy?" She asked him. Everything was getting so complicated, so confusing. She couldn't figure things out in the blink of an eye anymore, and the loss of power almost scared her. But it felt good too, felt safe.

"I don't know yet. But when I figure it out I'll let you know." He smiled, and she followed in suit. "So then, is that smile a yes? Are we going to Tokyo for Christmas?" 

"Pack your bags Hiiro Yui, this is one trip you'll never forget, I guarantee it."*

***Hate me yet?***


	20. Planes, Trians, and Automobiles

Chapter Nineteen: Of Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

*"You? Celebrating Christmas? You never celebrate Christmas. Or any other holiday for that matter. What's really going on?" Trowa pegged Hiiro. Serena was gone. She had left the night before when shortly after their 'Christmas' conversation the other guys had all walked in the door. Of course, they had rejoiced to see Hiiro out of his room and smelling like a flower ( in a manner of speaking). Serena had slipped out in all the mess without saying goodbye, but he knew he would be seeing her soon. Of course, now here he was, the only one of them who always managed to be busy on Christmas, and he was telling them he was going to Tokyo to celebrate Christmas. No wonder even Trowa was a little shaken by his announcement.

"Hey Hiiro buddy, need some company? I'd be glad to blow Hilde off for a trip to Tokyo with you for Christmas! I hear they light that big old tower of theirs in lights and party all night long in the clubs!" Duo joked. 

"I already have company." He told them. Then he instantly regretted it. Him and his big mouth! Why oh why in the universe did he have to tell _Duo_ of all people that he already had company to go to Tokyo with?

"Yui? Company? On a trip to Tokyo? Who would be foolish enough to go with you?" Wufei sneered. 

"Yeah Hiiro, who are you going with?" Quatre asked, semi-concerned. 

"No one." He told them, hoping that would cover his trail. Who was he kidding? That wouldn't work on a three year old!

"I'll bet I know who he's going with!" Duo cried out suddenly. "He's going with _Serena_!" He accused Hiiro in a singsong voice. Hiiro outwardly grimaced.

"Is that true Hiiro? Are you going with Serena to Tokyo for Christmas?" Quatre asked with an almost evil grin on his face. Hiiro could feel the teasing commence. He might as well out with it all now. 

"Yeah. We're going to see her family." He told them.

"Oh! Going to meet the in-laws already? Hiiro you sly dog! When did you propose to her? Last night? Before, after, or during that wonderfully steamy bath Serena told Hilde who told me about?" Duo was smiling so wide Hiiro thought his face would permanently be stretched with wrinkles.

"Bath? What bath?" Trowa joined in.

"Well, the way Hilde told me Serena told her is this: Serena hit Hiiro over the head with a bat and dragged him into the bathroom, stripped his of his clothes, pushed him in the tub, then stripped off her clothes and got in with him. The way I hear it, they were doing a little hanky panky in that tub!" Duo broke out gasping for breath and laughing so hard he had tears in his eyes.

"We have to replace that tub, I'm never stepping in there again until we do." Wufei grinned, getting in on the action.

"Hiiro! Is this true?" Quatre cried out in horror. And he had thought he knew Hiiro well!

"No it is not true. Hilde was lying. Serena hit me over the head with my alarm clock. And further more, she pushed me into the tub fully clothed, and got in fully clothed herself. That was as far as anything went. And I NEVER proposed to her." Hiiro tried pitifully to set the record straight. He knew it could do little good, the damage had been done. 

"So then you admit something happened between you two, huh Hiiro? Wow! A full confession guys! I never would have thought…" Duo just laughed harder. 

"Yui, men do not blush. Excuse me. Virgin men blush. The way I hear it, you are no longer that pure." Wufei's one comment sent all of them over the edge, even Hiiro himself. He couldn't help it. He knew that the correct action would be to take a gun and shoot Wufei where the sun doesn't shine, but he also knew that laughing was more gratifying then shooting was, so he laughed. Duo was rolling on the floor with tears in his eyes. Quatre and Trowa were in much the same fashion, only on the couch, and Wufei and leaning over propped against his knees laughing. 

"Umm, did I come at a bad time?" Serena asked as she stepped into the room. The guys, unable to collect themselves, simply shook their heads. Finally Trowa stood.

"Guys, we should welcome the blushing bride!" They caught a second wind and began laughing more than ever.

"I may be blushing, but I'm no bride. What's going on here?" She asked slightly confused and amused. It wasn't everyday that you saw the five toughest men you have ever met rolling on the floor with tears in their eyes. Suddenly, something struck her.

"So how x-rated was Hilde's version of last night?" She quipped, beginning to laugh herself.

"Duo suggests we were 'doing the hanky panky' in the bath tub, and Wufei wants a new tub because of it." Hiiro whispered in her ear. Serena herself broke up in giggles at the complete stupidity of the comment. As soon as they all collected themselves, they invited Serena to sit and chat.

"Sorry guys, I have to get back. Ben's there with Kelly, and I left him with her so long last night that I fell bad doing it again today. Maybe some other time, ok?" She told them.

"Here's everything you left behind last night after you snuck out without saying goodbye." Hiiro huffed at her jokingly.

"Well excuse me, but I didn't want to be in the middle of the stampede, unlike some people. Sheesh! But seriously though, I wanted to know, are you sure you want to come with Ben and I to Tokyo? I mean, it's a big trip and I'll understand if..."

"When do we leave?" He cut her off. She gave him a million watt smile and he could see the relief and thanks written in her happy eyes.

"Two days. I've already go the plane tickets on hold, and the plane leaves at nine, so I'll see you around, say, seven?"

"Sounds good." They stared at each other in silence for a moment. Then when Quatre cleared his throat they broke their trail of sight and blushed, trying to hide it from one another.

"Ms. Serena, I was thinking. I happen to have a house in Tokyo, my uncle left it to me in his will, and since you're going there this Christmas anyway, would you mind if we all came along?" Serena's eyes flew open with the prospect of having so many of her new friends near incase her family decided they hated her. 

"No! Not at all! In fact, I think it's a great idea!" She quickly told him.

"Wonderful. I'd better go start making a few calls then."

"Hey Quatre, can Hilde come?" Duo called out when he heard what their new plans for Christmas were.

"Yeah Quatre! Can Hilde come?" Serena jumped in.

"Please?" Both Duo and Serena begged him simultaneously. Quatre grinned and caved at both their child-like puppy dog expressions. 

"Alright. And Duo, while you call Hilde, you might as well call Dorothy, Sally, and Catherine as well. I'm sure they'd all love to come."

"Quatre, you so totally rock man!" Duo yelled at him as he ran to find the phone. The remaining guys and Serena looked at each other and grinned. So they were going to Tokyo for Christmas. Well, it was certainly going to be interesting. 

)(

So here they all were: Quatre and Dorothy, Wufei and Sally, Trowa and Catherine, Duo and Hilde, and Serena, Hiiro, and Ben. All of them were standing and waiting to board the airplane. They hardly had any carry on luggage, save for a few purses, Ben's backpack, and, of course, Hiiro's laptop. Soon enough their line began moving and the flight attendant had taken their tickets.

"Momma, where are we going?" Ben asked as he wiggled his feet back and forth on the plane seat. He and Serena were seated in the middle aisle of the plane, Ben sat to her left and there was an empty aisle seat next to her. 

"We're going to visit my old home. There's some nice people there I want you to meet, and we'll have lot's of fun there, I promise." She told him, trying to act happy that she was finally going him. It wasn't so much that she was sad to be going home than she was scared of the consequences she would have to face when she did get there.

"Why is Mr. Hiiro coming? Does he know the nice people too?" Ben continued.

"Not yet, but he's going to meet them." She told her son.

"Why doesn't Mr. Hiiro know your friends?"

"Because he didn't know me before." She told her son.

"Why didn't he know you before?" Ben kept up.

"Because he didn't need to save you yet."

"Why didn't he have to save me yet?"  
"Because the bad men weren't at the school yet."

"Why weren't the bad people-" Ben paused for a large yawn to wash over him. "Why weren't the bad people at my school yet?"

"Because they weren't bad yet."

"Why weren't they bad yet?"

"Because they were created nice. God creates all things good, even though sometimes they spoil."

"Oh." Another yawn ensued. "Momma?" 

"Yes baby?" 

"Will these people like me?" Serena paused. Either she tell her son the truth that he might not be liked, or she lie to him and let him down if they weren't accepted. Which one was the right decision?

"Who wouldn't like you Ben baby? Who wouldn't like you?" And before she knew it, the little boy's eyes drooped and he was fast asleep on the plane before it had even taken off. 

"Is this seat taken?" Hiiro asked as he moved from across the aisle to the empty seat next to Serena.

"Now it is." She smiled nervously.

"How do you manage with all his constant questions?" Hiiro asked, slightly in awe at the funny conversation he had just overheard between the mother and son. He watched Serena look over and smile lovingly at Ben.

"I don't know. Sometimes it's annoying, but most of the time I just take it in stride. I have to, I'm his mother, and the only one that's around for him." Her expression drooped at the thought of Ben not having anyone else to turn to for help if he ever needed it. Suddenly she had doubts. Parenting was already so hard. What was going to happen when Ben hit his teenage years? Would he run off and ruin his life the way she had? Would she become like her own mother and father and drive him away? And if he ever needed help, would she be able to provide it for him? So many doubts about whether she was doing the right thing, or whether or not she should change their lifestyle around, doubts about everything, even the clothes she bought for him to wear. Was he 'cool' enough? Did he fit in at school? Was he well…

"Stop thinking along those lines. You're an excellent mother who obviously loves her son very much. Just do what your instinct tells you and you can't go wrong." Hiiro interrupted her thoughts suddenly. It was funny, the way he always knew what she was thinking without her saying anything to him.

"My parents followed their instincts trying to raise me, and look what happened." She commented glumly. 

"They must have listened to too much advice from other people. It happens." He told her mockingly.

"Oh really? You think it's funny do you? Did you know that scientists are now saying that the only true instinct humans have left is the instinct to suckle when they're born? Everything else is taught and learned." She retorted.

"And you believe scientists?" He asked her, a genuine interest written in his expression.

"Well, they _do_ do the research on these sorts of topics, so I should think they would know."

"You should think? That's contradicting yourself you know" He told her pointedly.

"Thank you Aristotle. Well? Are you suggesting there's another instinct we have yet to determine as primal and un-learnable?" She asked him, getting deeper into the philosophical discussion. Hiiro had to think on this question for a moment. There was only one other 'primal urge' that could not be taught or learned, but he needed a delicate way to put it.

"Well…Reproduction is primal." He told her, hoping she didn't take it the wrong way.

"Re… re… reproduction? Hiiro! Get your mind out of the gutter! Honestly, I thought I could expect better manners from you at least." She reprimanded him. Though she had to admit, when she thought about it, he was right. 'Reproduction' as he had so gently put it, was a primal urge that could not be taught.

"Sorry. Just had to point that out." He told her, an extremely faint blush spread over his tan cheeks.

"Well, I guess I can overlook it for now." She told him loftily.

"Thank you very much your supreme highness." He gave a short mock bow as well as he could while sitting down. She simply turned her check and stuck her tongue out as it turned.

"Why you little…" he began. But he was cutoff by an announcement by the pilot that they were landing. Serena strapped herself, and Ben in tightly, and made sure Hiiro's belt was fastened tight as well.

"Thank you mommy." He joked with her.

"You're welcome baby Hiiro." She simply stated back before turning her cheek from  
him once more.

)(

"Well, this is it. This is where I lived for the first fifteen years of my life. It's funny, my younger brother, Sammy, should be fifteen this year. That's how old I was when I ran away. I wonder if he's about to make the same mistake I did…" The last part of her comment was more directed at herself, but Hiiro heard it and understood it. She didn't want her brother to repeat her mistake, so if he was still here and about to, she could warn him first. 

Hiiro stared up at the house covered in a blanket of pure white snow. It wasn't a rickety old house like he had pictured. It was more modernized with happy yellow paint and white shutters and windowsill boxes. She had told him there were red geraniums growing up along the walk in the spring, and he could see the blue drapes on the inside of the window in the front of the house. He had a hard time imagining why Serena would want to leave the safety and security of this house for the god-forsaken San Francisco slums with a bastard like Darien. Well, no matter now. He needed to be strong for her, give her courage to ring the doorbell.

Just looking at the house brought back memories from so long ago that she was afraid to make the first step. She knew that the only way to ever found out what her family thought of her was to ring the doorbell, but if she did that she would be trampled in so many memories that she would be buried neck deep. Well, she had Ben and Hiiro with her, so either way, win or lose, she came to play the game and she gave it the best gosh darn whack she could. Stepping up to the plate, she ring the doorbell once. No answer. She rang twice. Still no answer. The third time, she closed her eyes and felt Ben's small hand grab hers extremely tightly.

"Coming!" Called a sweet voice from inside. Strike three, it was good so far but would it land foul? The door opened to reveal a cheerful woman with long sea green hair and an apron on.

"Yes, may I help you?" The woman asked. Serena cleared her throat and began.

"Yes. I'm looking for Mr. And Mrs. Kenji Tsukino. Can you tell me if this is the right address?" She began. She knew who this woman was. But did the woman recognize her?

"I'm Mrs. Kenji Tsukino, and yes you have the right address. May I help you Ms…?" Hiiro gave Serena a slight and unnoticeable push forward to get her to start talking. She gathered courage from the warm tap and felt a little bolder.

"Ms. Tsukino. Hi mom." Dead. Silence. 

"Mom? Who's at the door?" called a deeper, younger, and slightly raspy voice from inside.

"Your sister is." The woman stated calmly. 

"What?" squeaked the little boy in the background.

"Serena? Serena, is it really you?" The woman asked.

"Yeah mom, it's really me." Serena stated shyly.

"Momma, who's the lady with the green hair?" Ben tugged on his mother's jacket and the woman at the door and the boy behind her both took notice of him for the first time.

"Ben, this is your grandmother, Grandma Ilene." Serena told him gently, bending down and picking Ben up.

"Grandmother? Me? I'm a grandmother? Oh, my baby's home! My baby Serena's home!" The woman's dry façade dropped and tears begin to spill from her blinking eyes. A giant smile and strong hug followed the tears as the woman named Ilene embraced her daughter who had been lost to her for five years.

"Come in, come in!" Ilene cried, moving over to allow Serena and Ben in, followed by Hiiro. 

"Serena? Is that really you klutz?" The boy asked.

"Yeah spore, who'd you think it was, Elvis?" She smirked, a trait she had picked up none too quickly from Hiiro. 

"I'll be darned, it is you!" With that, Sammy flung himself into Serena's arms, barely giving her time to throw Ben into Hiiro's arms. She hugged her baby brother while he cried tears of welcome for his once runaway sister.

"Ilene? Sam? What's going on?" The door shut behind a tall and lean man. As he shook the snow off his boots and removed his heavy coat, he turned to see what all the commotion was about.

"Serena? My baby girl? Is that really you?" The man asked in disbelief.

"Daddy!" Serena cried, finally getting into the spirit of the welcome home's. She flung herself into his arms and Hiiro watched as the fully grown man with such a strict and stern face, graying hair, and slight worry wrinkles began to openly sob, just to know that his little girl was safe and sound, back home from where she once had disappeared so long ago. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, all the hugs and tears had been cleared away and all that remained was the happiness to all be reunited once more. 

"Now Serena, who is this young man?" Her mother asked, peeling Ben away from Hiiro's arms. Hiiro felt an immediate loss of security, but it was soon replace when Serena grabbed his hand ad squeezed it tight. He was needed after all, even here where she had her family to back her up. 

"That young man is Benjamin Kenji Tsukino, your grandson and my son, and over here, this is Hiiro Yui. Ben, this is your Grandma Ilene and Grandpa Kenji. And over here is your Uncle Sammy." She told him gently. Ben looked about the room, as if he were deciding whether or not the new people he was meeting were nice or not. Then he spoke.

"Momma, where is Uncle Duo and Uncle Quatre and them?" Serena and Hiiro let out booming laughter. They couldn't help it. It had been so random, so completely off topic, and so adorable! 

"They're unpacking. We'll see them later Ben." Hiiro answered for Serena, who was still laughing slightly.

"Ok. I like you Grandma Ilene, you smell like cookies!" Ben turned his head to his grandmother and hugged her. Ilene began laughing and crying at the same time.

"Imagine! I have a grandson! And a son in law! Serena! Why didn't you tell us?" She laughed.

"A…a… son in law?" Serena gulped in fear. What did they mean by that?

"Let's go into the living room. I can't wait to learn all about my new son in law, Hiiro Yui. And I want details on how you met and the wedding too! Oh, my little girl is all grown up!"*


	21. The Newly Weds...

Chapter Twenty: The Newly Weds

*"Sure Mom. Uh, can I just speak to Hiiro real quickly?" She silently pleaded with her mother to say yes.

"Why of course dear. Take all the…" Ilene began.

"Now wait just a minute here Ilene. Who said they were married? Just because he comes into this house with my daughter and a kid doesn't mean…" Kenji started.

"No Ken dear, give the boy a chance. After all, he is our son now too." Ilene quipped, trying to stop an argument before it became a heated debate. 

"No Ilene, we know nothing about this boy yet. How do we know we can trust him? After all, he only just came into our home today. I want to at least learn more than his name before I accept him as my son."

"Ken!" Ilene gasped at the rude tone of her husband's voice. But she was helpless to stop him from ultimately having his way.

"Now Serena, Mr.- Yui, did you say? Please, come in and take a seat. Let's go over the facts." Helpless, Serena was pulled by her wrist into the next room over by her father. Hiiro, now more adjusted to the new nature of his 'mission', had adapted quickly. He was going to have to be quick on his toes tonight. Serena let Ben ran off to explore the house while her parents sat down on the couch, her brother in the giant armchair next to the fireplace on one side, and herself and Hiiro on the loveseat on the other side. 

"Tell me young man. You are married to my daughter?" Kenji began. Sammy settled in and slightly smiled. This was going to be one hell of an unusual Christmas. 

"Yes sir, I am." Serena's drooped head shot up from hanging on her chest and she looked Hiiro in the eyes. He would do this for her? Pretend to be married to her and be the father of her son? Why? Well, whatever the reason, she couldn't deny how right it felt in her heart to hear him say they were married. 

Hiiro took a brief moment to return Serena's stare. Her eyes shone with the warmth of thanks and another, deeper emotion he had yet to place. She was happy he had played along. He had been worried at first, but now he knew he had done the right thing. And besides. Was it so bad to pretend they, Serena, Ben, and he, were a real family? No. It felt almost normal, almost natural. And her eyes… when they shimmered like they were now… it made him feel so happy himself that he nearly burst. He would just have to remind himself this was only pretend. Only a hoax to fix the relationships between Serena and her family. Only fake. 

"So, it's true then. My daughter is married. Well then, Mr. Yui, I believe I would care to hear a bit more about what possessed you, and my daughter, to do such a life altering thing so rashly at such a young age?" Kenji hit him hard. This man, though he seemed older, was sharp. Hiiro knew he would have to keep his footing now, or the lie would all break apart later.

"Sir, with all do respect, I love your daughter Serena more than life it's self. And she loves me. We knew we were young when we married, however, we decided that we both knew the enormous amount of responsibility and work it would take to make our marriage thrive. And I believe, that, for the last five years of our marriage, it has worked incredibly well for us." Serena beamed up at Hiiro. Within minutes of entering her house, Hiiro had been pulled into such a giant mess that she had been sure he would back out and run away. But here he was, sticking up for her and not only that, oh no. He was doing so well at it that her father almost seemed intrigued by him instead of hopping mad! Hiiro had not yet ceased to amaze her and take her breath away since the day they first met.

"Serena? Do you feel the same way?" Kenji almost had half a mind to accept Hiiro. Almost. But Hiiro had stolen his daughter away form him in more of a way than that Darien fellow had. Hiiro had taken away his baby's innocence, made her into a true woman. He had to know if his daughter had matured enough emotionally to handle the life that lay ahead of her.

"Dad." Kenji looked up. Serena _always_ called him daddy! "Dad. I know that when I was younger I made a great deal of mistakes. I didn't pay enough attention to schooling. I never learned the responsibility chores were supposed to teach me. I didn't know the value of a dollar, and I didn't have any idea how much I truly had. But dad, when I left home and Darien left me, I had to grow up. I learned how to pay attention to detail. I learned to deal with responsibility. I learned how to earn my keep and I learned the meaning of family. I became responsible for another life, Ben. And Hiiro, Hiiro's been with me through it all. He's been by me when I thought I would fail. He's given me strength and support when I needed it most. I have a job now. I have a son now. I cook, I clean, I improvise. And I know that what Hiiro and I have, what Hiiro, Ben and I have, is here to stay forever. It's more than just some one-night stand, it's more than just a fling like Darien and I had. It's friendship, respect, it's family." 

Hiiro looked at her while she spoke. He could tell she was picking and choosing her words carefully, but he could also see that she meant every single word that came out of her mouth, even the ones about them being a family. He felt a warm wave wash over him as though he had been accepted into a giant world he had been excluded from the last twenty-two years. 

"Oh Serena. Oh my darling little girl! She's grown up so well!" Ilene began to shed tears once again. Kenji turned to hold his wife in his arms while she sobbed. He too, could see his daughter was far more mature than he had ever thought she would be. Well, even if he did like the way Serena had grown up, and even if the mad she had married was just as smart, he still had to act like the mean old drill sergeant of a father and go through the routine questions at least.

"Very well. I accept you Hiiro Yui. For now. I do, however, would like you to answer a few basic questions." Kenji replied sternly.

"Very well." Hiiro replied, almost as coldly. Kenji shook his head. Had this boy just put on a different persona? One minute he and Serena had been beaming at each other, the next he was calm and stoic as a statue, and Serena seemed to be used to it. What was going on?

"Full name." Kenji began.

"Odin Lowe Jr., legally changed to Hiiro Yui by my guardian when I was five." Well. That was certainly a more thorough answer than Kenji had been expecting.

"Age."

"Twenty-two years, five months, seven days, twenty-six hours, 1560 minutes, and 93600 seconds." Serena nearly choked with laughter when she hear Hiiro's response. Her father was going to go ballistic! But she knew, judging from Hiiro's expression, he had been taught in his training to answer questions in this manner.

Kenji, was furious. Was this… boy… mocking him? How dare he! And he had thought that this Hiiro Yui might be suitable. Then Kenji caught the expression on Hiiro's face- or lack there of. It looked as if Hiiro was being serious. Then why had he answered in such a rude manner? Kenji continued his questioning, hoping to get the answer.

"Occupation. And if you say unemployed, I'm kicking you out here and now, so save yourself the trouble and just leave if you are."

"Daddy!" Serena reprimanded her father.

"I'm part of a special unit of the United States Government referred to as a SWAT team. My unit is Gundam, sector 65, otherwise known as the city of San Francisco." Kenji was taken aback by this answer. Not only was the boy employed, but he worked as part of a SWAT team? What was a SWAT team?

"What is the job of the SWAT team Gundam's members?"

"We handle jobs that are too big for the police to handle. Special infiltrations missions, we do research on classified subjects, we stop terrorists and threats, and we handle special investigations. If I tell you any more, I may need to…"

"Hiiro, let's not get into that right now. Tell my dad about the school and Ben." Serena stopped Hiiro from practically threatening to kill him. Hiiro looked at her and understood.

"One of our jobs was to save the school Ben attends when a group of terrorists held the children and teachers hostage."

"I remember reading about that in the newspaper!" Kenji cried out suddenly.

"Daddy, Hiiro was the man that came out of the building after it had been blown up." Serena added.

"You were the one? This is great!" Sammy finally joined in the conversation. 

"Oh my…" Ilene breathed.

"Hmm." Kenji seemed satisfied. So, he had been trained to answer questions that precisely because of his job, not because he was being smart. 

"Apartment? House?" 

"We live in a nice two bed/ one bath apartment." Serena answered for him.

"Hmm." Kenji couldn't think of anything else… wait. "How did you two meet?" Serena stopped grinning so much and Hiiro's stoic posture slightly crumpled- though no one noticed save Serena. She placed a hand on his shoulder, signaling him that she would answer.

"I was in a restaurant being hounded by a bunch of men. No matter how many times I told them I wasn't interested, they wouldn't leave me alone. Hiiro came in as my knight in shining armor, telling the guys to take a hike. We became friends, them dated, then it all just…"

"…happened." Hiiro finished when he saw Serena was getting choked up. Why would she feel so sad all of a sudden? He didn't know, but when they were alone, he would find out. He liked the way she had made them meet. It had happened, just a little differently. She was just stretching the truth to fit their story. Suddenly his watch beeped.

"Oh my goodness! Hiiro, it's four! We promised the others we'd be back by four thirty!" Serena gasped.

"Others?" Ilene and Sammy both chorused at the same time.

"My friends and their girlfriends came with us. One of them owns a house here in Tokyo, so we all came up for Christmas." Hiiro told them, slightly warmer than he had been while answering Kenji's questions.

"Oh dear, does that mean you won't stay for dinner?" Ilene sighed worriedly. Serena glanced at Hiiro. "Of course, your friends are welcome too!" Ilene tried again. She wanted so much to get to know the woman her daughter had grown to be. Serena and Hiiro glanced again. 

"Mom, that's eleven extra people, and while I don't eat as much as I used to, Duo does…"

"Come to our place tonight." Hiiro invited them. 

"Yeah! What a great idea Hiiro! Quatre's cooking, and trust me mom, you've got to try this American food… you'll fall in love with it!" Serena squealed. Ilene couldn't help but love the happy look upon her daughter's face. Why not?

"Ken?" Ilene pleaded.

"What time and what's the address?" Kenji sighed in defeat. Hiiro wrote the address down and Serena gave them an approximate time. Then Serena called Ben downstairs and helped him put his coat on. 

"We'll see you tonight around six! Bye mom! Bye dad! Bye Sammy!"

"Bye Serena! Bye Hiiro! Bye Ben!" Called the rest of the Tsukinos as they watched their daughter disappear again, down the street and into the snowy air. What were they in store for tonight at dinner? 

)(

"You told them what!?" Duo and Hilde screamed at Serena and Hiiro together. The 'gang' had all been loafing about Until Serena and Hiiro had walked in the door, with Ben screaming about Hiiro being his new daddy. Naturally, everyone had been, interested to say the least, over Ben's new pet name for Hiiro. This had lead the group into a conversation regarding the fact that Serena was no longer to be referred to as Ms. Tsukino, but as Mrs. Yui, and that had, in turn, lead Duo and Hilde to their screams.

"Wait, you two are pretending to be hitched to appease Serena's family?" Sally asked, a twinkle in her eye. 

"Well, yeah. And we want you all to help us. You know, play along. Hiiro and I have been married for five years." Serena told them all.

"We met in a situation much like the one during our lunch break during the trial." Hiiro explained. The guys, of course, knew exactly what this meant, but the girls were in the dark. While Serena took them aside into the kitchen to explain, they began working on dinner. Quatre joined them and Sally (who insisted cooking had never been her forté) and Dorothy left the kitchen, saying they each were going to help the rest of the guys clean up 'nice' for Serena's parents. Dorothy had meant it. Sally, on the other hand, had used it as an excuse to go spar with Wufei in Quatre's gym room.

Finally, after all the chicken was put into the over to simmer, the beans were in their pot on the stove, and the mashed potatoes, bread rolls were ready to be served, the table was set and both the guys and women had cleaned up, they were ready for anything. Enter the doorbell. It was time for the face-off to begin.*


	22. Keep the Wolves at Bay

Chapter Twenty-One: Keep the Wolves at Bay

*They were here. Serena visibly shivered as she thought of having her parents over. Thinking over her friends and their girlfriends, she had to admit she felt like she had the advantage. Having so many of her friends near her helped remind her and give her strength to face those whom she had once though of as omnipotent. Hiiro had been great about helping her so far, and she knew she could get Ben to play along easily, but what of the rest? Would they slip and mention something about her 'night job' or Darien? For certain Hilde and Duo would play along. The inseparable pair had spent many a minute practicing improv., and she was sure they would be able to pull anything off without a hitch. The others were a bit different. She had only just met Catherine, Trowa's girlfriend, along with Sally, Wufei's girl, and Dorothy, Quatre's girl, but already she had a keen sense they would be able to keep up. 

Catherine had a natural talent for performing, Serena could tell in the air she carried herself with. Catherine's reddish curls and gray eyes gave an innocence and poise of someone who could never tell a lie. Trowa had told her Catherine had once been a skilled gymnast as well as loved performing on stage. Trowa, as well, seemed the type to either keep silent, or help play along with the carefree appearance that usually came packaged with the truth. 

It was Sally whom Serena thought would add spice to their elaborate scheme. From her short discussions with the tall and strong blue-eyed blonde, she could tell Sally had a knack for brazen and often inspired truths. Sally seemed to be a loyal sort, one who would not be easily deterred from her duties in any situation, and Sally herself had told Serena while winking she would play along. And, if Sally followed, Serena was sure faithful and prideful Wufei would follow, not to be outdone in any area by his own 'woman', as he liked to refer to her.

Dorothy slightly chilled Serena to speak with. Her low and melodic voice had a certain enthralling quality to it that had not been lost on all those who had ever spoken to her, past or present. Her knee length sun whitened hair and light blue eyes did little to improve the still air that hung in heavy smog around her disposition. But, if she dated Quatre, the most innocent of the guys, how could Dorothy possibly be that… unusual. Quatre had saved her before, and Serena trusted that he would keep Dorothy in line. And even she had to admit, While Dorothy seemed aloof, she had been nice all the times she had spoken to her. 

"You ready?" A low voice whispered into her ear. She shivered. And then there was Hiiro. Ever since he had called himself her husband, she had been thinking non-stop about him. Not that she had stopped thinking about him since they had first met, but these thoughts were different. She found herself wondering how it would feel to kiss him… to have him kiss her. She wondered how it would feel to have him hold her, hug her randomly. She had to stop these thoughts, they were beginning to eat away at the core of her soul, creating an almost irresistible huger for a passion she had never known before. 

"No. Then again, there is no ready." She smirked. He smirked back. So her sense of humor hadn't suffered through her fear. At least that was a plus. He was, despite her pessimistic view upon readiness, completely set for anything her parents or brother decided to throw out at him tonight. He had even had Quatre help him draw up a marriage certificate, just in case. And Duo, who had disappeared after learning about the situation, had returned ten minutes earlier with two simple silver wedding bands. The rings. He had almost forgotten those.

"Serry, Duo got us a little 'wedding present.'" 

"Did he now? And what would that be? And Hiiro, I'm warning you, if this has any sexual reference, I will take your gun and shoot both you and him without hesitation." He gave a short laugh. That was the Serena he knew, innocent to the core.

"No, it's decent. Care to see them?"

"Them? How many of whatever it is are there?" She asked skeptically.

"Only two. This is mine." He held out his hand to reveal the simple silver band. She gasped and choked back a slight giggle. Seeing the laughter in her face and eyes, another idea struck him. What if he were too… no. It might be funny, but the full implications of it… what the hell? After all, it was only in good fun. The Perfect Soldier persona could take a backburner for a while. He bent down on one knee and clasped her hand gently within his own.

"Serena my darling sweet, you are my sunshine, my light. Without you, birds do not chirp. Without you, flowers do not bloom. Without you, grass is not green. Could you, would you, honor me with your hand in marriage?" Though he had been shaking during the entire proposal with laughter, when he finished, the air hung in a heavy smog about them. Each could feel the tension form from what had been meant as a joke. 

Serena knew it was a joke. She knew it. Yet even while knowing it, and hearing how corny he had sounded while professing his 'undying love', she still felt obligated to give him a true answer. It felt good to be as relaxed, as happy as he made her. But she knew in her mind that she couldn't. She wanted it with her heart. But she couldn't. Smiling to try to calm the thick atmosphere, she giggled slightly.

"Alas my fair sweet, though I do wish I could, I cannot. My father would forbid it!" She told him, waving her hand in the air, much like a damsel in distress might. Hiiro caught her true intention of the lines, but he had also caught the starry eyed and content look that had crossed her face before she had answered him.

"Very well then my dear. At least take this token as a symbol of my love." He asked her gallantly, slipping the ring onto her finger. Duo had done a wonderful job in picking the ring; it suited her well. It was a simple silver band that, at the top, had a tiny diamond crescent moon and a silver star next to it. He liked how it looked on her slim fingers, and how he looked while slipping it on. 

Serena gasped in shock. The ring was gorgeous! How had Duo managed to find such a ring? Her favorite items, a moon and a star, in silver, and diamonds. Added to all that it wasn't big enough to overly garish, neither small enough to be completely overlooked. As Hiiro slipped it onto her finger, she felt blithe. Looking up at Hiiro, who was now standing, she trembled with a cascade of wild and mysterious emotions. Not knowing how to respond, she simply stood on her tip toes and very lightly placed her rouge lips against his. After only a few seconds, she pulled away slightly breathless.

Although her soft lips only pressed against his momentarily, heat rushed through his face and suddenly it was hard to breath. Though he knew the room remained stationary, the walls spun to his eyes. When he finally focused back on the petite though engaging woman in front of him, he found himself trapped in her shimmering ageless orbs. 

"We had better go, I can hear my father's voice." She told him, turning away and avoiding eye contact.

"I hear it too. Figures he would be the type to disapprove of Duo's braid." Serena laughed slightly. 

"Well then, what are we waiting for? Let's go greet the guests before they tear Duo apart." She put on the façade of happiness.

"Let's." He agreed. As they stepped out of the small bedroom they had been in and down the stairs, he stopped her briefly. "By the way. We started something. And what I start, I always finish." With that, he smirked and pulled her along with him down the stairs, regardless of the fact that suddenly she was blushing an insanely red color and dragging her feet more than even. 

"Serena! Oh my baby girl!"

"Hi Mom, Dad, Sammy." Serena greeted her mother, still a little off kilter from Hiiro's promise- threat. Promise. Oh, what did it matter anymore? She was so flustered she couldn't make heads or tales of hers and Hiiro's true relationship anymore. Were they friends? More? Less? Scratch that. Certainly not less. But they weren't dating. And yet, they were 'married'. What the hell had she gone and done now? Complicated her life more than ever, that was what.

"Serena, why don't you introduce us to your friends?" Her mother asked. Serena could tell her father was in one of his sulking moods, but was interested enough to perk up slightly when he learned he would be meeting his baby girl's friends.

"Sure." She began with the two closest to her. "This is Quatre Raberba Winner and his girlfriend Dorothy Dermail. Next to them is Duo Maxwell with his girlfriend and my best friend Hilde Shibeiker," she could hear her father mutter about how boys shouldn't have hair longer than shoulder length. "Then is Wufei Chang and his girlfriend Sally Po, and last but not least is Trowa Barton and his girl Catherine Bloom. Everyone, this is my Mom, Dad, and little brother Sammy." She took a breath and prepared for the booming welcomes she knew would follow. She was right. Suddenly the foyer was filled with warm welcomes, loud laughter, and talking. She noticed Hiiro talking with Sammy and smiled. Then frowned remembering his promise… threat… never mind, she was going to try to forget that now. 

"So who owns this house then?" She picked up on her father's voice. She trailed it to a small group of Quatre, Trowa, Dorothy, Sally and Wufei. Catherine had gone to check on the food, taking Serena's mother and Hilde along for the ride.

"I do sir. My Uncle left it to me in his will." Quatre spoke up. She watched her father size the boy up and give a nod of approval. 

"So you come here often then?" Kenji kept it up. He still had slight issues with the fact that his daughter was back and married. And she had a son. That really irked him. Though he had to admit, Ben was the cutest grandson he could have ever hoped for. Kenji sighed as he spotted his daughter leaning against the stair railing watching them all. He noticed his wife and a few other women had left for the kitchen, and that Hiiro and his son were speaking quite amiably now. 

"So how long have my sister and you really known each other?" Sammy was asking Hiiro quietly. 

"What do you mean?" Hiiro kept the innocent look about him. Sammy grinned and winked. 

"Come on. Ben is Serena and Darien's son. I'm young, not stupid. Besides, he looks nothing like you or Serena. Except maybe the eyes. But seriously, tell me. I won't let on I know." Hiiro sized the boy up. Well built, good looking, semi-serious expression placed across his face, along with the mild interest of knowing a secret. This was a split second decision Hiiro had to make. Then again, he was quite used to those.

"Three weeks." He told Sammy.

"And you're not married, are you?"

"No. Though…" Hiiro stopped. What the hell was he thinking? He had almost told the boy too much information! This was exactly the kind of downfall he knew he would suffer if he had stayed with Serena, and here it was, coming to pass before his eyes. But somehow, it wasn't as important anymore.

"Though what? Though you wish you were? She does, I'll tell you that! She's gone on you." Sammy told him.

"And you would know this how?" Hiiro lightly played along.

"She's my sister."

"You haven't seen her in five years."

"Ok. Let me put it this way. She's also a girl, and if there's any one subject I'm good at, it's girls, trust me. She's gone on you. Not that that's a bad thing. I happen to like your style. And Dad'll come around eventually. Give him a little more time. Hell, even my Mom likes you. She usually hates the guys Sere brings home."

"Darien included?" Hiiro asked, mildly interested.

"Darien included." Sammy finished.

"Dinner is served!" Ilene called. The conversations all halted and they left for the table.

"So Hilde. Were you Serena's maid of honor in the wedding?" Ilene asked Hilde, trying to make conversation.

"Yeah. And Duo was the best man. We were only friends back then."

"That sure was a while back, huh babe?" Duo added in-between smiling and inhaling food.

"Were the dresses pink?" Serena, Hilde, and Hiiro visibly choked. Ilene must have noticed, because she tried to explain the reasoning to her question. "I remember when you were younger Serena. You used to dream of having pink bridesmaid dresses and a huge white dress for your wedding."

"Oh, that! Mom, that was so long ago! How do you remember that?"

"I remember everything about my babies. Like the time when you were six and you swore your cat Luna could talk. We got a good laugh out of that one." Serena blushed. Sally, Hilde, and Duo burst into laughter. 

"And pink on top of it! Mrs. Tsukino, you have got to tell us more about Serena when she was little!" Hilde squeaked in-between laughing. 

"Yes yes, of course dear! But the dresses?" Ilene had a huge smile on her face. 

"They were blue Mom, light blue."

"Oh. Well then dear, what about yours?" Her mother grilled her.

"White." Hiiro answered for her. "She had a lovely white wedding dress that came off the shoulders and fell to her feet. And a long veil as well." Snickers could be heard from all four of the boys plus Hilde, Dorothy, and Sally when they heard Hiiro Yui, of all people, describing a wedding dress. A fake wedding dress nonetheless. 

"It sounds lovely dear. Do you have a picture?"

"Sorry Mom. Left those at home." Serena covered quickly.

"That's a shame. I wanted to see my little girl's wedding picture." Her father added quietly. 

"Daddy…" Serena started.

"I think we've heard enough. Ilene, Sam, dinner's over, let's go."

"We haven't even had coffee yet." Serena tried to deter them. 

"Serena. I see all that you have now, a child, a husband, loyal friends, and it makes me wonder. If you were so happy, why did you bother coming home?" With his last blow dealt, Kenji picked up his coat and strolled through the front door.

"Serena dear, he didn't mean it like that. He's just upset at knowing you're all grown up and on your own now, that's all. Good night dear, call me in the morning." Her mother kissed her cheek and went to the car.

"Hey sis, don't feel so blue. You know how dad is. He was so broken over you missing that it did more than a little damage to his ego. It hit him hard psychologically too. Just take it one step at a time. He'll come around. Bye sis!" And Sammy left the house as well, closing the door behind him.

)(

She stood at the window. It wasn't that she was sad, no. She had been expecting something like this to happen. But for some reason, she just couldn't sleep. Guilt? Depression? No, those words were not correct to describe the feel she felt. But then, what word was? All a word could do was give someone else a general idea of the vague emotional distress she had been thrown into. And then, worst of all, her mind was clamped upon one figure who would not stop haunting her, no matter how many times she closed her eyes and wished it would.

"Can't sleep?" The low voice wafted through the room and sent small jolts of heat and electricity to warm her ice encased heart. The figure had materialized as flesh and blood. Now she would have to face it. 

"No. How did you get in?"

"I slipped in while you were thinking." She felt her hands tremble and willed them to stop. They didn't.

"Oh? Ever heard of knocking?" She pegged him.

" Never liked the concept much. Upset over dinner?"

"No, not really. I was expecting it. I'm sorry I didn't warn you sooner. I was going to, but I guess… I… just, forgot." Her mind was numb, she knew she was stuttering. 

"You're shaking."

"No I'm not."

"Lie to them. I'm not them. You're tense."

"Lie. I hate lying." She shuddered, hoping to deter what she knew was inevitable at this point in the game. They had come too far, done too much, something had clicked and now she was stuck.

"Hn."

"Are you related to a cave man by any chance? I could have sworn…" Hiiro was close to laughing. He couldn't help it. Earlier that night, when he had 'proposed', he had near laughed himself mad simply because she had put him in the mood for it. Serena always managed to surprise him into a new emotion every time he spoke with her. Moving around behind her, he began to rub her neck, trying to lessen the tension. He vaguely remembered the first time he had done this, her standing in the kitchen doing dishes, him behind her, distracting her from her work. 

"Are you trying to drive me insane?" She muttered to him softly. 

"Maybe. Is it working?"

"Hmm. Keep going and I'll let you know." They stood in silence for a while, Hiiro kneading the knots from her neck and shoulders and Serena with her eyes closed in bliss. When he stopped, he brought his arms around her shoulders and pulled her close into him. 

Serena lay back, knowing Hiiro would catch her if she fell. But that was a scary thought for her she realized. She knew she could trust Hiiro, meaning she was making herself more vulnerable than ever. 

"There's no moon tonight." She reported to him.

"We don't need one." He murmured in her ear. 

"Hmm. Why not?" She asked, half asleep and dreaming. Hiiro did not respond verbally. He instead spun her around to face him, waking her completely.

"Hiiro?" She asked meekly. He always did this to her! She felt helpless, like for once she wanted some one to take care of her instead of the opposite way around.

"I gave my word on something before dinner."

"You, your not… serious, are you?" He smirked.

"I just worked those knots out of your shoulders. Don't undo all my hard work."

"But, I… I…"

"What? You don't trust me?" He asked her abruptly. "Do you not trust me? What is the matter? Are you scared of me? Have I hurt you? Ben? What is wrong with me?" It didn't come out in a frantic and mad screech, more just a low and dejected tone. 

"No! That's not it at all, and you know it!" She denied.

"Then what? Tell me so I can fix it! Please?" Serena looked up and gasped. Raising her hand gently, she wiped the salty tear from the path it had been trailing down his cheek. Was he begging her? She looked in his eyes and saw innocence. The same innocence she saw in Ben's when he fell over and bumped his head; the same innocence she had seen when she had first looked into her son's eyes. Hiiro was soiled with filth beyond comprehension, yet here he was, the most innocent of all creatures God ever created. 

"No. Hiiro, listen to me." She began. She had to fix this here and now. "You are perfect the way you are. No, I don't mean as a soldier. As a human, a person with feelings and emotions. You are far more innocent than I ever will be. There is nothing wrong with you, trust me."

"I want to trust you, I do trust you. But you need to trust me. I am not perfect. I am lonely. I push people away because form the very beginning I was taught that it hurt to much when those I cared for were hurt because of me. Well, you did it. None of them, not Duo, Quatre, Trowa or Wufei could do it, but you did. You broke me. And now I ask that you at least acknowledge that!" Serena turned her head away slightly, weighing the consequences to any actions she might take. Then she lifted her head.

While he watched her turn her head in thought, he inwardly screamed. What was she thinking about? Was she trying to think of a nice way to turn him down? Was she scared of him? All he knew was the most simple sensation any one human creature could possibly feel, the most basic of all emotions. It was indescribable for words, yet it boiled over, giving him heated hope that she might understand, might finally submit to him. Then he saw her head turn back his way and that was the last he was consciously aware of anything.*

Any comments as of yet? Anyone hate me NOW? mailto:Rix13rix@aol.com or just R&R (no, don't rest and relax, read and review!) :P


	23. Renaissance of the Lost

I though ya'll deserved this a little earlier than I was originally going to put it out…

Chapter Twenty-Two: Renaissance of the Lost 

*Slowly and very gently, so as not to disturb his train of thought, Serena lifted her muddled head and looked into Hiiro's eyes. Though his mental presence had been long since abandon, his physical presence still lingered before her. He was beautiful. All the more reason to let her heart finally just run it's course. She very slowly stood on her tiptoes and leaned towards him. Barely pecking his lips, she pulled away, suddenly unsure about her decision. 

Hiiro felt the warmth added to his, her soft and tender lips link with his for a brief second and lost all self control. When he felt her begin to pull away, he simply wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her in closer. 

"Do you trust me?" He whispered into her ear. Her ear tickled from the warm waft of his breath. 

"Almost." She whispered back, looking into his eyes and practically laughing. She brought her hands up his back and neck and let them trial into his dark mane. "Yes, I do trust you Hiiro Yui." He then tipped her head up towards him and dipped his head down to hungrily taste her sweet and taunting mouth. She tasted like sugar, sweet sugar. Deepening the kiss, he heard her moan and felt her body go almost completely limp within his grasp.

Serena kissed back with all her might. Hiiro pushed more and more, and she accepted and took as much as he could give. The pent up passion of the two lonely souls poured out into the purity of their kiss, and finally the heated tension was broken by their need for air.

"That'll be fine for now." Hiiro groaned as he gained his breath back. He gave her a truly happy smile and wrapped her into a huge hug. She squeezed back as tightly as possible, knowing that even though there was a chance of being hurt, it would be no where near as wonderful as the joy she felt at the moment. When they released each other from the hug, both looked at each other's face and began laughing.

"You're crying." She told him.

"So are you." He lifted his finger and brushed the tears aside. Laughter dying, they simply stood in the dark silence of the moonless night, looking at each other. 

"Hiiro, where does this leave us? I've been so confused for so long I don't know what to make of anything anymore."

"I'm not sure either. We're more then friends." 

"Hiiro, we're _married_, of course we're more than friends!" They both broke out laughing again.

"Well then, _wife_, if you have no objections, I would like to begin maybe, what does Duo do with Hilde?"

"Not sleep, that's for sure." Serena joked. 

"I meant when he's not…"

"I know, I know, but I think you mean date." Hiiro shrugged. As long as he got her he didn't care what she called it.

"I want to take you to breakfast. Alone."

"How are you going to pull that with Duo and Hilde around?" Serena giggled. 

"Early. We leave early." 

"Oh Hiiro! It's late as it is. Look at the time, it's past one thirty!"

"Hnn."

"You are so evil!"

"Hnn."

"Fine. Cave boy, have it your way."

"Good." He smirked. She stuck her tongue out at him.

"We could put that tongue to better use you know." She gasped in shock at his comment. It was so… out of character. Maybe Quatre was right; maybe she really did make Hiiro act differently. She was still a little unsure about this, but they were only dating- maybe- after all.

"Hiiro Yui, I don't think so. Leave my room before I change my mind and turn you down for breakfast!" 

"Goodnight _wife_."

"Goodnight _husband_." With that he shut the door, leaving her to her dreams.

)(

"Momma, Momma!" A second later Serena felt a giant lump lad on her from the sky. Opening her eyes and scanning the clock, she saw what time it was. Six seventeen. At least Ben was still on time. There was something so comforting about the stability of Ben's clockwork appearance. Then she looked up and saw not only Ben had jumped on her bed, but a larger, more looming person as well. 

" Duo! Get off of me!" A man's booming laughter echoed throughout the room, followed by the higher but still loud laughter of a little boy. Serena simply sighed and rolled her eyes.

"Thank you both so much. What a way to wake up." She pulled Ben in close to her and slightly tickled him. He giggled.

"Sorry Serena couldn't help it. It was fun though, you really ought to try it some day." Duo told her, still smiling.

"Really?" She asked, forming an idea in her mind. "So tell me then: is the Perfect Soldier awake yet?" Duo grinned wider, catching onto her idea. 

"Nope! Come on Ben, we're going to wake up Hiiro!" Duo raced out of the room, followed by a shorter blur. 

"Wait for me!" Serena cried, not bothering to throw on a robe. When she raced out of the door, she found Duo and Ben down the hall, quietly peeking into Hiiro's room. She joined them and spotted Hiiro's sleeping form in the bed. Duo counted a three and all three of them raced into the room and jumped on the bed.

"Hey! What the…?" A blonde head poked up out of the covers, followed by another blonde. 

"Qua…Quatre? Dorothy?" Duo stuttered. "What are you doing in here?" Duo asked, apparently very mixed up and confused. 

"We were going to wake Daddy up!" Ben exclaimed happily.

"Uh, Quatre, this _was_ Hiiro's room, right?" Serena asked him.

"It was. We switched last night. Something about him wanting the room across the hall from you…" Quatre answered. Dorothy nodded; trying to collect what little dignity she still had back.

"Serena, I hate to tell you this, but look at the doorway." Duo whispered in her ear. Serena turned her head so she was able to see the doorway and blushed. There stood Hiiro, dressed, arms crossed, smirk on his face. 

"Thanks for switching Quatre." Hiiro said coolly. He sauntered into the room and bent over the bed. He picked up Duo and dropped him on the floor. He picked up Ben and placed him on the floor. He picked up Serena and as he gently placed her on her feet, he whispered in her ear: "We leave in twenty minutes. Trowa's watching Ben." Serena modestly nodded and watched as Hiiro walked out the door.

"Serena?" Duo was waving his hand in front of her face.

"Hmm?"

"What did he say to you?" Quatre asked for Duo. All occupants of the room were looking directly at her, including Ben.

"He said to tell Duo to get a new t-shirt." Everyone but Duo laughed. 

"I don't get it." He looked down at his shirt that was ripped in more than five different places and had Hilde's picture blown-up on it. 

"Never mind. Ben honey, come here. Would you like to spend the day with Uncle Trowa today?" She asked him.

"Uncle Trowa is the tall one?" Ben asked uncertain.

"That's right. He's really nice."

"Ok Momma! Uncle Trowa!" Ben went running out of the room and down the stairs to where Trowa had been eating a nice, quiet bowl of cereal. 

"Serena, why did you need someone to watch Ben?" Dorothy asked.

"I'm going out to see what's left of my home town today, and I'm not sure it's the best thing to have Ben with me yet." She semi lied. She was going to see the town, just with Hiiro. Finished, she realized she only had fifteen minutes to get ready, including a shower and hair, so she left Quatre's room as quickly as she could politely. When she left, Duo was still sitting on Quatre's bed, and Dorothy was sending very clear signals she wanted him gone. Duo didn't seem to notice.

)(

"This is a great town. It's almost impossible to imagine you would ever want to leave it." Hiiro told her as they walked down the main street together. 

"I know. I can hardly believe it myself. It's beautiful here, even in the dead of winter." 

"So where do you recommend eating breakfast Serry?" Hiiro asked her. She flushed and he smirked. "Something wrong?" He pressed.

"No. Just… everywhere in town I went with Darien. I don't know, it's just strange, you know?" That, and she was still not sure about getting close to Hiiro. But she couldn't tell him that of course.

"No." He smirked again.

"It's like this: Everyone always thought Darien and I would end up together no matter what. Everyone, even me. Now when I go back, I have these memories of when Darien was nice versus what I now know about the slime ball." 

"All the more reason for us to go to your favorite place. We'll erase those memories ad begin anew." She smiled this time. But Hiiro always ended up making her want to get closer to him.

"You know, you're right. Thanks Hiiro!" She squeezed his hand gently. "We'll have to go to the arcade without a doubt. I spent almost my entire life at the arcade when I lived here. Everyone I knew used to hang out there."

"Arcade it is."

When they reached the arcade, Serena had second thoughts. She almost didn't go in. But she knew Hiiro was right. She had to put her past behind her, regardless of memories she had. With a deep breath, she allowed Hiiro to pull her into the slightly dark arcade. Inside it was busy, just as she remembered it. The same smell, the sounds of the arcade games and the ringing of bells. Waiters, waitresses, and busy people weaving in and out of each other. 

"Let's get a table, alright?" He whispered to her. She nodded. As they made their way to the tables, her eyes lit up.

"Hiiro! That one! We _have_ to go to that one!" He watched her dull eyes become full of life and sparkles. As they sat at the table, Serena settled into her old place and felt right at home. She could see her friends next to her, across form her, talking ad laughing over which boys at school were cute, which teachers were evil, and what their plans were for the weekend. She could see her friend Ami studying as furiously as ever, Mina and Lita gossiping and drooling over the guys, and Rei and herself fighting like cats and dogs. Her favorite moments had been at this booth.

Hiiro just watched as tears filled her blue eyes and spilled over as she sat still, remembering past events that had taken place here in the arcade. Reaching over and gently shaking her shoulder he brought her out of her daydream and back to the present.

"Sorry. It's just this is my old booth. My friends and I always used to sit here. No one else used to sit here because they knew it was ours."

"I'm sorry, but you can't sit here." A blondish redheaded man in an apron told them as he came to take orders.

"Why not?" Serena asked sadly.

"This booth is always reserved for a few of our special regulars." The man replied. Serena looked up and the happiness that had quickly drained form her face returned instantly. 

"Andy! I though I _was_ a special regular." 

"Ser…Serena? Sere! You're back!" The man cried, dropping his order pad and bending down to sweep Serena into a hug.

"Andy! It's great to see you!" She cried. As hard as Hiiro tried, he couldn't help but want to take out his gun and blast this apron wearing freak of a man into kingdom come. Serena must have caught the murderous look in his eyes because she let go of Andy instantly. But she didn't stop smiling.

"Andrew, this is Hiiro. Hiiro, Andrew works here at the arcade. His father owns it." 

"Not anymore. I own it. It's nice to meet you Hiiro."

"Hnn." Hiiro responded. Serena laughed at Hiiro's stoic behavior and shook her

head.

"Don't feel bad Andy, Hiiro's usually like this." Andrew looked slightly put out, but he adjusted quickly and smiled back at Serena. Then he frowned.

"Where's Darien?" Andrew asked. This time, Hiiro did pull his gun.

"Mention him again; I shoot." He said as coldly as possible.

"Hiiro, it's alright, he doesn't know about Darien." Serena's long face was filled with determination as she gently placed her hand over Hiiro's and pulled the gun from its aimed position on Andrew's forehead. 

"What?" Andrew asked, shocked and confused. Serena was with a man who carried a gun and would shoot at will? She must have really changed.

"Andrew, things have… changed. This is my husband, Hiiro Yui." She gave Hiiro a look pleading him to play along. If her parents thought they were married and Andrew by accident told them differently, she would be caught. She felt dirty and guilty for lying to such a good friend, but she wasn't sure where his loyalties would lie when he found out about Darien. She was only protecting herself and Ben. Of course, Hiiro didn't need the please, he would have gladly acted for Serena.

"Husband? Wow. I though you and Darien would be together forever."

"No." Hiiro stated blankly.

"Andrew, Darien's not the nicest kind of man anymore. I know you were best friends way back when, but he's changed. He left me alone without anything and pregnant. Then I met Hiiro and…"

"Everything fell into place." Hiiro finished, shooting Serena a warm smile. Good acting came at a price. But he didn't mind smiling in front of other people as much when he was doing it for Serena.

"Wow. What a change. Wait… you have Darien's son?" Andrew asked.

"No. I have Hiiro's son. Darien was never the father, only the statutory rapist." Both Serena laughed and Hiiro smirked at that. But Hiiro felt slightly more lightheaded. Was Serena being truthful when she had said Ben was more his true son than Darien's? But he hadn't been around that long, nor had he done much except get him out of the school. But he did like Ben, and he knew he more than liked Serena. Plus, Ben even called him Daddy. Maybe he was…

"…incredible. Well, if Darien ever decides to 'visit' this arcade again, I'll be giving him a good punch in the nose for you Serena." In that moment Hiiro knew he liked Andrew.

"Thanks Andrew, but Hiiro took pretty good care of that. I think Darien's still in the hospital." She giggled. Hiiro too smiled.

"You don't need a gun to cause permanent damage." Hiiro joked. This time even Andrew laughed, though it was slightly more stressed than Serena and Hiiro's.

"So have you been to see the girls yet?" Andrew asked her.

"No! Are they still all here?" Serena asked excitedly.

"Of course! They all went to Tokyo University and graduated last year. They're all still in town. Ami's taking an internship at the local hospital, Lita's trying to get a building so she can start her own restaurant, Mina's been working at a talent agency, and Rei's still at the temple, as dutiful as ever. They come in here everyday and gossip just like they used to." Andrew filled her and Hiiro in.

"They sound like they're so happy! Any new love interests?" She pressed Andrew for information.

"Why would I know?" Andrew faltered, giving away his knowledge.

"Just tell me!" Serena cried.

"Well, that kid Greg came back and he and Ami are pretty close. Then Lita and Ken. He's a good guy. Oh, and of course Mina and I and Rei and Chad…"

"You and Mina? No way!" 

"Yeah."

"Took you long enough!" Serena yelled, making Andrew blush. Hiiro hated interrupting them because he loved watching Serena so happy. It was like she had been transformed from a sullen and cold creature to a warm and carefree woman. The only trouble was he was dying of hunger.

"Food?" Hiiro asked quietly.

"Food. Andy, my usual- wait, never mind. I don't eat that much anymore. Just get me a burger and drink. Anything besides coke!"

"And Hiiro?" Andrew asked.

"Same exact thing. No coke."

"Coming right up."

)(

"Wasn't that fun?" Serena chirped as they strolled though the light snowflakes falling upon their heads. 

"Not bad." He smirked. 

"Hey, Hiiro, thanks for making me go in there and face my fears!" She stopped and looked up at him. Without warning, she through her arms around his neck and planted a large kiss on his lips. It was her first completely self-initiated move towards him, and it felt great to let it go. Why weren't they together yet? Oh yes. She wasn't sure he could trust him yet. But, then, what was she doing now? She decided to forget it all and live in the blissful moment for a change. 

He responded deeply, tilting her head back and nearly bruising her delicate lips. As the snow fell around them, a group of young women stopped to watch the two finish their intimate kiss while the snowflakes fell. When Serena and Hiiro finally parted, they were howled and whistled at until they turned to look at who was doing the whistling. The street got very quiet as the stare-off began until finally one loud screech nearly broke the glass window next to them.

"Serena?!" The game was a foot!*


	24. Another Typical Day in Tokyo

Chapter Twenty-Three: Another Typical Day in Tokyo

*"I don't believe it!" One voice rang out.

" There's no way!" Another joined in the disbelief.

"Is it really her?" Came yet another voice.

"When? How?" And still another person entered the conversation.

"Serena!" All four voices cried in unison. They rushed forward and in a mad dash practically ran over their original target. Hiiro managed to avoid the stampede, but Serena wasn't so lucky. He watched in awe as the four extremely energetic young girls tackled Serena and took her down into the snow, laughing hugging, and crying the whole way.

"I don't believe it! Ami! Lita, Mina Rei!" He heard Serena's muffled yell from under the pile the women had made on the street sidewalk. Finally they stood and tried to dust themselves off. Hiiro took the time to examine the four new comers. 

The first was short, though now where near as short as Serena herself. Blue hair and lighter blue eyes set on a paler frame. The woman appeared to be carrying a pile of books that had been left in the snow when she had seen Serena.

The woman next to her resembled Serena in more than one way. Same long, blondish hair, though paler and slightly shorter than Serena's golden hued locks. Her eyes were blue as well, though they were more of a sky blue than Serena's oceanic ones. She too was short but her long legs gave the appearance of greater height. Bright orange colors even in the dark snowy day made her stand out in the crowd.

The two women helping Serena up off the sidewalk were just as pretty. The first with raven hair to her waist and violet eyes held a spark of self assurance and pride within her posture. Her robes told him she was the priestess who Andrew had mentioned earlier. The other woman had long brown hair swept off her face into a ponytail and sparkling green eyes that reminded him of Trowa's. But this girl was anything but stoic. She was laughing and energetic, just like the rest of them. 

"It's so good to see you all again! It's been too long!" Serena was telling them, lifelessly happy to see her friends again. 

"I know! Sere, where've you been these last few years?" The one with brunette questioned.

"Yeah, it's so strange seeing you, almost unreal after so long." The blue haired one mentioned.

"Where have you been Serena?" The raven haired one asked.

"Slow down!" Serena was shaking her head in disbelief. These were her friends Her best friends, the ones she had grown up her entire childhood with. She loved these girls dearly, and after so long she was finally seeing them again. It made her want to cry.

"Serena?" Hiiro asked her, slightly concerned. He knew she was just happy to see her friends, but he wanted her to know he was still there with her and wasn't about to abandon her.

"I'm fine Hiiro. Just, stars, it's good to see you four!" She cried, bursting into new tears and jumping to hug each of the girls again. After the second group hugs dissipated, Serena stepped back away from her friends. Hiiro simply stood near her, arms crossed in a cold uncaring fashion.

"Sere? Who's he?" The blonde asked. " There is some electricity here…" She implied, making all of the girls to break into giggles, excluding Serena, who blushed a deep shade of red. Hiiro just stood impassively. Women. Sometimes Wufei was so close to the truth it frightened him. 

"This is Hiiro Yui." She introduced him. He noticed she didn't tell them they were married and wondered why not if she had told Andrew they were. "Hiiro, this is Ami," she pointed to the blue haired girl, "Lita," the brunette stepped forward, "Mina," The blonde giggled and winked at him, signifying she was the afore mentioned girl, and "Rei." The dark haired woman smiled briefly in acknowledgement. 

"Hnn." Hiiro grunted in a low, dark voice; avoiding direct eye contact as he spoke. Serena watched as all her friends backed up slightly and tensed. Trying to think of a way to defuse the situation, she walked up to Hiiro and patted him on the arm. 

Hiiro slightly relaxed from his defensive position to a slightly more inviting stance when Serena's hand touched his arm. A weakness, he realized, that might have gotten him killed had he been on the job. His mind began to wrestle with the thought of having such a weakness and whether or not being around Serena was such a good idea for yet another time. Could he, as the 'Perfect Soldier, afford to have a girlfriend? Girlfriend? Was Serena his girlfriend? Well, even so, did would she affect his work? Would she… he stopped. Instead of contemplating the matter in greater depth now, he dropped it into oblivion. Deciding was too much for now. He knew she was the only one that could relax him; the only one able to sooth away his fears of his past deeds and future sins. She was the one that made him blush, laugh, and cry. She gave him strength where otherwise he would have none, and she made him walk on air while others had to take the rocky road. He was addicted to her. What else would his emotions allow?

"Girls, don't be nervous. Hiiro's always like this, you've just got to roll with the flow around him." Serena told them, blowing it off as if nothing out of the ordinary had occurred.

"Roll with the flow? Sere, honey, what language are you speaking?" Lita asked her, smile reappearing as she took her mind off her old friend's new companion and teased her over her new 'dialect' instead.

"Language?" Serena asked confused.

"I believe what Lita was asking is what does the expression 'roll with the flow' mean?" Ami explained. Already Hiiro was categorizing these girls, putting them into little boxes that fit their personalities, styles, and general attitudes. Ami was the local brain.

"Oh. What I meant was, Hiiro always acts like this, you just have to get used to it and ignore it." Serena replied, letting a small smile slip.

"Always? You mean he's always rigid?" Mina asked giggling.

"Well, only when he's with other people." Serena answered, not really taking time to consider the fact that her answer wouldn't make any sense to her friends. 

"With other people? Sere, you're other people. How do you know whether or not he's this tense alone or not?" Mina asked, slightly confused but with goofy grin on her face. At the mention of Hiiro being 'alone', he inwardly balked and outwardly glared. Serena just blushed.

"That's not what I meant… nevermind, forget I said anything. I can't believe I'm standing and talking to you all again! It feels so good!" Serena went on.

"Yeah. So tell us Sere, where did you disappear to? We know you ran away with Darien. So where's that creep, and please tell us you're not still dating him." Rei pressed her for information. At the mention of Darien's name, both Serena and Hiiro got a little more tense and Serena lowered her eyes to the ground.

"We got as far as San Francisco and after about a month we broke up. I don't know where he is right now; my best guess would be the hospital after his little run in with Hiiro here. After that, I haven't the faintest idea of where he could be, nor do I care."

"Oh Sere." Mina sympathized with her friend.

"Don't go pitying me now! I knew what I was doing when I did it and I'm glad I did it. If I hadn't I never would have had Ben or met Hiiro, and if I hadn't ever met Hiiro, I wouldn't be here now." Serena scolded them for giving her pity. Hiiro smirked.

"Sere, who's Ben?" Rei asked. Serena looked at Hiiro. What was she supposed to say? Would they accept it? 

Hiiro gave her glance right back at her. She needed to tell her friends. She needed to tell someone. Getting it out into the open would be the best thing; she just needed the push.

"Serry." He spoke softly in her ear. "Tell them. Trust someone. If not me, then them. Trust them." As he spoke, he became slightly jealous of the closeness the five woman shared, and wished he could have the same closeness with Serena. He wished he could feel the same closeness to his friends. Hell, he wished that just for once he could open up and feel close to anyone. He watched as she took a deep breath and turned to her friends. 

"Ben. Ben is my son. Darien's and mine." Silence. Hiiro knew what was coming and resisted the urge to plug his ears. 

"What?" Rei screamed.

"When?" Lita cried out.

"Why?" Ami asked loudly.

"How?"

"Mina!" They all yelled at her for her last comment, including Serena.

"Sorry, it just seemed like one of those moment things." Mina blushed sheepishly. Hiiro placed Mina in her box. The ditz of the group. 

"But Serena, honestly. What happened between you and Darien?" Rei asked. 

"It's a long story. The main points are Darien promised to marry me, I slept with him _once_, told him I was pregnant, he threw me out, I found my own apartment, had my son, Ben, and have been living that way ever since." 

"We should finish this reunion inside." Hiiro finally spoke aloud to all the group. He had noted Serena was shivering, not to mention it had begun snowing much harder and decided he would do something about it.

"Good idea Hiiro."

"Serena, where are you, Ben, and Hiiro staying? If you need a place, the temple's always open…" Rei offered. Hiiro placed Rei in her box. She was Serena's closest friend out of the whole group, though she obviously had a slight temper.

"We're staying with a bunch of mutual friends in a house around here." She told them, slightly questioning Hiiro whether or not it would be alright to have them over.

"They can come Serry." He told her smirking. He found it amusing she thought she needed his permission to have friends over. Instead of an answer, she simply beamed at him and turned back to her friends.

"Why don't you all come over now? How many people do you think are home Hiiro?" She invited her friends and asked at the same time.

"Hnn." He told her. She shook her head and half smiled at his antics.

"Thank you so much for your assistance Hiiro." She thanked him, her voice dripping with sarcasm. 

"Well then, sure, we'd love to come! And I made cookies earlier too; we can eat them when we get there. Boy Hiiro. With a stomach like Serena's you must have to buy a lot of food just so you can eat too. What a brave soul." Lita laughed along with the rest of the girls. Hiiro placed her as the most down-to-earth of all the girls. Aside from Serena that was.

"I used to eat three times what I do now." Serena explained to Hiiro. He turned to the girls.

"Serena doesn't eat much. That's Duo's job." He smirked and Serena broke into a fit of laughter. They received blank stares from the girls.

"It's a long story. Come on over and I'll explain." Serena told them as she took the hand Hiiro had offered her and began walking down the street towards Quatre's house.

)(

"Serena, when you said you were staying in a house with a bunch of other people, we assumed you meant a house. This place is huge!" Mina exclaimed as they all sat in front of the fire Duo and Trowa had built.

Everyone was in the room. Duo and Hilde on the floor near the fire. Quatre and Dorothy shared half of a couch, Trowa and Catherine the other. Wufei and Sally were seated in a giant armchair, and the four newest additions to the group sat themselves around the floor in a circle. Serena and Hiiro were seated near the fire with a blanket wrapped around them. All were sipping mugs of hot chocolate and the Christmas cookies that Lita had baked earlier that day were being passed out amongst the group. 

"Sorry Mina, I didn't think there was a difference." Serena smirked.

"So tell us how you all came to meet." Ami began the conversation. Though they had all been introduced to each other, they were all still a little shy and unsure of themselves.

"Well, it's actually very interesting. You see, Serena and I knew each to her, and I was dating Duo, but they had never met, and then these creeps decided to take over the school where Ben attended class, so…"Hilde eagerly joined in, soon enthralling all in her retelling of how their paths had all crossed. As Hilde spoke, Serena thought back over the day. 

So many high and low points had come out of this one day. First waking up Quatre had been huge fun, even if the point had been to wake up Hiiro. Then seeing Andrew again had brought back so many memories. It had been even better when she had eaten breakfast with Hiiro alone. It was funny, but while they had eaten, Andrew hadn't disturbed them at all. She and Hiiro had just talked. Serena had found out about Hiiro's likes, dislikes, and more than she had ever imagined she would learn about one person in so short a time. After that, their walk in the snow… the kiss… and then of course her friends. 

Seeing her friends again had brought her to such tears that she had had a hard time restraining herself. And now here they were, in the most comfortable position she had ever been within in a very long time. Ben was upstairs deep asleep, she had all her closest friends near her, hot chocolate, it was snowing during Christmas time, along with the fire and Hiiro… it all made for the perfect conditions.

"Serena? Serena?" Lita was calling her name.

"Hmm? I'm sorry, I didn't hear what you said." She blushed as she was caught not listening.

"I asked you what your relationship with Hiiro was at this point." Lita told her. Serena looked around the room. Every single person had their eyes glued on her. Her light blush became a deep rouge and she lowered her eyes, trying to avoid eye contact. Then she looked up at Hiiro.

"What are we Hiiro?" She asked him quietly so no one else could hear.

"Hnn." He grunted. She frowned slightly. She knew what he was doing, of course. He was making her decide so she wouldn't feel like he was pushing her into anything. Her mind told her one thing, but her heart another. Then, without thinking through her answer, her heart took over and blurted out the answer.

"Undefined." Hiiro kept an unemotional mask over his face, but inwardly he understood. While their friendship was moving so fast he could hardly keep up, the trust needed to build a steady relationship was still slightly missing on both sides. Even with their high paced lifestyle, they still were moving at a snail's pace … it was almost ironic. 

He wanted Serena, he knew. His problem was that he was worried about the effect on his work, and his own heart being broken of course. Though it sounded strange, almost corny, he couldn't help but feel slightly pleased with himself. Slowly, ever since he had first seen her on the stage of the strip club he had been trying to catch her eye, searching for the answer that would bring her to him. Even though at times his mind had rejected his heart's wants, both emotional and physical, he had always striven for Serena's affection, and it looked like the wear he as putting into her was finally beginning to show. She was coming to him, and with a little more patience he would soon have her trust. The question was, would she have his by that time.?

"Undefined?" Cried all the girls and Duo. "What is that supposed to mean?" Went up the collective question.

"It means…Hmm, you know, I'm not sure?" Serena teased them all, though it wasn't all that much of a joke to her.

"Serena, don't be so evil! Tell us!" Ami chided.

"It means what it means. Accept it." Hiiro finally spoke for the both of them.

"Right. Just accept it." She joined in.

"Ha! Then you haven't actually _dated_ yet!" Duo cried out.

"Hnn. Hence the reason we wanted Trowa to watch Ben and we went out to breakfast _alone_." Serena told him pointedly, grunting in much the same manner Hiiro might. She caught him smirk at her when she did so. 

"Did we interrupt your undefined 'date' Serena?" Rei asked suddenly concerned but at the same time joking.

"No." Hiiro said darkly. He was still a little frustrated that he hadn't been able to take her one kiss to a deeper level.

"Sorry gun boy." Rei disputed him. She could tell he was mad at them for interrupting the kiss. So he really wanted whatever their relationship would turn out as. 

"Hnn." Hiiro answered her.

"Hiiro! Please don't start using the grunt language!" Serena pleaded, grinning the whole time at her old best friend and her new boyfriend's argument. 

"Hnn." Hiiro turned his head towards her and grunted at her. Then he smirked.

"Hiiro Yui! You are the most evil person I know!" Serena exclaimed, trying to wiggle away from him. It was a pointless move, for it only provoked him to make a countermove of his own. He reached over and yanked her into his lap. Everyone else in the room broke into secretive smiles. It was as if they knew something the couple didn't. 

"Hey Sere, we really should be going, but I was wondering, now that you're back in town, will you and all your friends come to my Christmas party?" Rei asked.

"Christmas night, right?" Serena asked.

"That's right!" Mina cried in anticipation. "There's going to be mistletoe and food and eggnog and caroling and…"

"Mina!" Lita clapped her hand over Mina's mouth.

"You got it right Sere." Rei told her, more calmly than Mina had. Serena looked at her friends as they moved to the door and dressed in their giant warm coats.

"We'd love to come Ms. Rei." Quatre replied politely for them all. 

"Yeah, of course I'll come Rei! See you there!"

"Bye Serena!" A chorus of voices echoed back as the girls strode down the street and out of sight. As they left, Serena backed away form the door and slipped away from the group of anticipating people. She quietly entered her room and lay down.

"Taking a nap?" Hiiro asked her. How _did_ he find her? She had to giggle.

"Just thinking." She told him.

"May I think with you?" He asked.

"Of course." She lay back down on the bed, and Hiiro lay beside her. Soon her heavy eyelids drooped and she dripped off to beyond the oblivion. Hiiro wrapped his arms around her and soon he himself dozed in a dreamless abyss of complete fullness. They had a long day tomorrow. Christmases were always that way. But for now they were safe and quiet, tucked away within the far reaches of their finally complete imaginations.*


	25. Eve of Christ

Chapter Twenty-Four: Eve of Christ

*It was nearly six thirty, and already the sky was filled with the blackened snow clouds as they lay a think blanket of white flakes upon the frozen ground. Inside the warm house, a woman sat at a vanity table, trying to decide how to fix her hair.

"Momma, you look beautiful that way." Was her son's opinion. 

"Thank you Ben, but you know I never wear my hair completely down."

"Why not?" The little boy asked.

"Well, I just don't."

"Momma, are my Uncles coming tonight?" 

"No, they are not. But you get to meet your Uncle Sam. He's very nice."

"Was he the one that was at Grandma's home?"

"Yes, that was him."

"I liked him, he had games! Like Uncle Duo!" The little boy sat up and jumped off the bed from where he had been sitting. "I'm going to say bye to everyone!" And before his mother could respond, he was racing off down the hall. The mother simply laughed and tuned back to her mirror. Children made everything so easy. They wanted things to be simple, and they were innocent to their words and the concepts that fell from them. She wished deeply she could regain her missing childhood. So much had been lost, and now there was no way to possibly regain it. But that was the result of her one, life-altering mistake. Next time she wouldn't make such a mistake. But there was no next time. She sighed. See? She had made such a simple thing as innocence into a big mess, complicated it in ways it need not be complicated. Serena shuddered. 

Everything rested on tonight. She, Ben, and her 'husband' were joining her family for Christmas Eve dinner. She knew the traditions of her own home well enough, she was not worried in the least bit over that aspect of the night. Serena was more petrified that her parents, especially her father, would see through her 'marriage' with Hiiro and have a fit. But that wouldn't happen unless Hiiro fell through. That night when he had asked if she trusted him she had said yes. But now… everything was beginning to take its toll. This was her last chance to decide whether or not she could fully give herself to him. She shuddered to think of what would happen if she learned she could not. 

"Leave it down." A cool and monotonous voice rang out from the deep shadowy reaches of her room.

"But I never…"

"Tonight is a time of change. Change your 'tradition' and wear it down." The voice echoed in response.

"Getting cryptic and philosophical I see." She mocked him. He smirked in response.

"And here I though you enjoyed my talking." 

"Touché sir Hiiro." She stood and curtsied to him He took the time to let his eyes wander and then linger over her attire for the evening. Donned in a full-length and very tight velvety red dress, the neck was scooped so low he wondered if the only reason her father would decide he hated him was because of the scandalous way he let his 'wife' dress. Her long golden hair cascaded down her back in a torrent of honey colored waves and curls. Light glitter and no other make up highlighted the natural beauty, though it was apparent without, and the tall red sandals gave her a high, confident and poised appearance. This woman was no ordinary woman. She was a goddess walking on the Earth, and he intended to keep her as long as he possibly could.

Serena noticed his wandering eyes and blushed a deep shade of red. His actions in turn inspired her to take full advantage of the quiet moment. He was, as they say every so often, dressed to kill. Hair still as wild as ever, she could see he had made an effort to harness it. Black slacks that fit to a tee. A tight, long sleeved black cotton shirt and over it was placed his favorite leather jacket. She could see the gun holsters beneath his jacket and sighed. He was going to meet her insane father and he was carrying his guns. Either he was the smartest person she had ever met, or the dumbest. Smart to defend himself, dumb to provoke an attack in the first place.

"You should leave your guns here."

"Hnn."

"I know you never go anywhere without them, but if you take off your jacket, where will you hide them? My father will have a coronary if he sees them, my mother will faint, and they will both never speak to you again." She told him smirking at the thought.

"And Sam?" Hiiro asked.

"Well, at least you'd have one friend in the family." They looked at each other and she broke into giggles while he simply grinned. Removing his jacket, he slipped the holster from his shoulders and flung it onto her bed. Taking one gun out, he hid it from sight and then replaced his jacket.

"Ready."

"But… where did… how… you're impossible!" She stuttered at him when she couldn't figure out where he had hidden his gun.

"No, I'm an assassin. You're not supposed to be able to see my weapon, it's in the job description." He smirked and she feigned a frown.

"Well then, all mighty assassin, let's be on our way, shall we?"

"I'm driving." 

"It's always the men that have to drive, isn't it? I remember when my mother wanted to drive somewhere and my father told her no. Every single time I can remember he told he no." 

"I'm driving because it's Quatre's car. I'm under the insurance."

"A likely excuse!" He blushed, and she grinned. "So you can blush! And here I thought only normal humans did that."

"Get Ben." 

"He's my son, I know when I need to get him or not!" She snapped.

"You're touchy tonight, and we haven't even left the upstairs hall yet."

"Excuse me for being nervous."

"You're excused." He smirked. He could see her shoulders become more tense that they already were and her cheeks flushed with anger. 

"Hiiro Yui. Do not start anything with me tonight, I am tense enough as it is."

"Relax then."

"Yui!" 

"Momma? Why are you yelling?" The two young adults looked down to see Ben tugging on Serena's dress skirt and near tears.

"Oh Ben honey, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell. I'm just very scared right now. You know how when you're scared you yell? That' what I'm doing right now." Serena explained, trying to soothe her child's fears away.

"But why would you be scared. You're my Momma, you're never scared of anything!" The little boy proclaimed. Hiiro switched back and forth between watching Serena and Ben. Ben was the epitome of innocence, and Serena was trying to teach him using euphemisms. He had to give her credit where it was due… what she was doing was telling the little boy the truth through sweet stories though in reality the truth was much more gruesome. 

"Ben, listen to me. Everyone is afraid of something sometime." Serena told her son, hoping he would understand.

"But you're my Momma. You're not scared of anything ever!" Ben kept insisting. 

"Ben. Your mother is only afraid of taking risks. Tonight she is taking a risk, and she is very nervous." Hiiro told the little boy, crouching down to his level and patting him on the shoulder.

"Risks? Oh. Risks. Ok. Let's go, I'll race you to the car!" Ben cried out happily as he ran down the stairs and out the front door. Serena turned to Hiiro.

"How did you know?" She asked him quietly. "I mean, what makes you think I'm afraid of taking risks?"

"You're afraid of telling Ben the truth. You're afraid of telling your parents the truth. You don't trust me. To do all of those would be to take a risk, and you have yet to take them."

"I..."

"Don't answer. Just think."

"You say that like it's an easy thing to do." She dropped her head and rubbed her arms. He stood, then reached out with his hand and brought her head up to eye level. 

"It's never easy. Nothing ever is. Come on, we'll be late." She nodded and took the hand he offered her. As they walked down the steps and out the door, he remembered something. "And, by the way, I'm still driving."

)(

"Serena!" Ilene cried when she saw her daughter step into the kitchen. She hadn't heard the doorbell ring or a knock, so she had been unprepared for her daughter's arrival.

"Hi Mom." Serena answered back simply. "Need help with anything in here?"

"Of course sear! You know I can always find something for you to help with Serena dear. Let me think. I know. You can decorate these cookies!" Ilene brought out a large pan of baked cookies cut into Christmas patterns. She handed her daughter a few tubes of icing and sprinkles and then turned back to her own work. 

Serena smiled and shook her head. She should have known better than to ask if her mother needed any help. Every year she had spent with her family it was the same. Every time she asked if her mother needed help she was given cookies to decorate. It was tradition. Not that she was complaining. She rather enjoyed decorating cookies.

"So tell me, where is that sweet grandchild of mine?" Ilene cooed as she stirred a pot on the stove.

"He's in the family room with Daddy and Sammy. I think Hiiro's in there too, but I can't be sure."

"You can't be sure where your husband is?" Ilene looked up slightly amused with her daughter. Serena felt her mother's intense gaze and blushed.

"Hiiro is a special case. He could be in the family room, sitting and watching Ben with Dad and Sammy, or he could be watching them from the shadows, or he could be watching us from the shadows- there's really no way to tell until he decides to reveal himself."

"You're serious, aren't you?" Ilene gaped, mouth wide open in shock.

"Very. That's his job, what he was trained to do, his life." Serena answered confidently.

"And you allow him to take such risks, knowing that he might never come back home?" Ilene gently prodded her daughter. Serena had to pause. This was what she had been trying to decipher all along: how could she take a chance with Hiiro knowing that there was always the possibility that he might never come back. She had to answer, and make it a good one as well.

"I allow him to take the risks because I know he thinks about what is safe and what is foolish. He has a good, cool head on his shoulders and I am confident in his judgment about what is safe or not."

"Good answer." Came a deep voice from the shadows. Ilene gasped, but she watched as her daughter never even flinched, just smiled slightly. 

"Thank you. So how long have you been there?" Serena asked Hiiro.

"Since you started decorating your second cookie." Serena looked down to see she was on her fifth.

"Hiiro, you gave me quite a surprise there." Ilene stuttered as she recovered from Hiiro's sudden appearance.

"I'm sorry. I intended no ill will." Hiiro smirked at Serena as he spoke.

"Oh, that's fine dear. I'll be right back, please excuse me." Ilene forgave Hiiro, then turned and exited the kitchen, leaving Hiiro and Serena alone.

"May I decorate a cookie?" Hiiro asked her.

"I don't know. Has Hiiro been a good boy lately?" Serena chortled.

"He has." He smirked.

"Well then. I suppose he can help with _one_ cookie then… since he's been _such_ a good boy and all…" From below her, Hiiro stole a cookie and a tube of red icing. He sat on the stool at the counter next to her and bent over, trying to very carefully decorate the cookie. 

Ilene quietly peeked into the room from the door. She watched the small interlude between Serena and Hiiro and sighed. She was so glad her daughter had finally found true happiness with someone. Not an untrustworthy man like Darien had been, but a man who cared deeply for her and their son. Their son. It was funny, she thought, how Ben was their son, yet he looked nothing like either of them. Except his eyes. Ben's eye could easily be a cross between Serena's and Hiiro's. Well, that was enough for her. Clearing her throat, she strolled back into the kitchen.

"Where did you go Mom?" Serena asked her mother, not looking up form her own task at hand. 

"I went to ask your father a question. Now then, tell me more about yourself Hiiro. Where are you from? Your parents?" Ilene asked politely.

"My name is Hiiro Yui. I am twenty-two years of age, have brown hair, blue eyes, am 5"6, weigh 135 lbs., and am blood type O-." He said monotonously. 

"I mean where did you attend school? And your parents?"

"Mom, Hiiro doesn't like to speak about his past much." Serena filled in for her.

"But I only want to get to now my son-in-law a little better. Is there something wrong with that?"

"No mame." Hiiro answered. He glanced at Serena and looked up to face Ilene face to face. "I was born to two unknown people and raised on the streets until I was eight. After that a man named Odin Lowe raised me. He died and another man who called himself J picked up where he left off with me. I was home-schooled, yet when I took the college entrance exam they didn't except me. They passed me straight through. I had gotten over three thousand on the entrance exam, more than enough to pass college in general. After that I took up my career in law and have been in it since I was seventeen." Ilene sat motionless. How could so many unusual and extraordinary things happen to such a young boy? 

Serena too, sat motionless- only for a second though. When Hiiro's head dropped to his chest and she saw him heave a deep and labored breath, she stood and strung her arms about him. Pulling him into a deep hug, she just stood, allowing him to draw strength from her own. He was so old in spirit, yet so young in life. How could he experience all he had and still have the care for not attitude? She was reminded of a line from the movie Apocalypse Now: "If I had ten battalions of men willing to cut their arms off, I would end this insanity now." Hiiro was one of the men willing to make the ultimate sacrifice, willing to cut off his arm to win the fight. He had detached himself morally from the issue knowing within his mind that the end would ultimately justify the means. She shuddered at his strength and determination. 

Finished with the short version of his life story, Hiiro dropped his head and breathed in deeply, hoping he would have the strength to hold back his emotions. It was becoming harder and harder each day to contain himself, and he hoped he could hold out just for the rest of tonight in the least. Warmth surrounded him and he leaned into the soft smooth arms of the woman who had changed him so much. They had come so far in so little time that he shuddered to think of what would happen if they had never met, if they had never become so close. Bit by bit she was eating at his defenses and tearing at his brick wall. Soon enough they would be gone, scattered without a trace, and his broken and beaten spirit would be revealed in its true form to her understanding and caring eyes. Only her lack of trust in him was keeping her from destroying his defenses completely, and only when she did decide to trust him would she see the truth. But for now he gathered strength from her arms, hoping he would be at rest soon.

"Well then," Ilene tried to break the solemn mood. "Shall we eat?"

As the family sat down around the giant table, they bowed their heads in thanks and grace. Soon enough, everyone was digging in, talking, and laughing, even Hiiro, who was making (very small) conversation with Ben and Sammy. The dinner went off without a hitch and by the time everyone was finished and had moved back into the family room for coffee and desert, even her father and Hiiro were almost getting along. Almost.

"I still don't see how you could have married my daughter without permission. How?" Kenji asked.

"In America we didn't need permission from the parents." Hiiro told him. 

"I still think you were both too young…" Kenji sighed submissively. What else could he do? Even he, the 'blind' father, could see how much his daughter loved this boy and how much this boy loved her. He was distraught at losing his only daughter, his little girl, yet at the same time secretly pleased his daughter had made such a good match. 

"Mom, hey mom, dad, can we open one present now please?" Sammy wanted to know. Ben too, had his eyes open wide, smile on his face, waiting anxiously to see whether or not they could open a gift.

"I suppose… if it's alright with your father that is." Ilene sighed, smiling.

"Dad? Can we?"

"Grandpa? Please?" Ben joined in begging. Kenji caved under the pressure pf having two such sweet and innocent kids pleading with him at once.

"Alright, alright, I guess so." Sammy and Ben yelped in excitement and ran to grab what they wanted to open. Serena just laughed and Hiiro smirked. He couldn't help it. He had never had a chance to get into the holiday spirit before, but now that he had it, he was having a great time. He would never admit to it of course.

"Having fun Hiiro?" Serena smirked at him.

"Hnn." Hiiro grunted in response.

"I knew you would! And just think. If you're having fun now, wait until tomorrow night!" She smiled a wide happy grin up into his face.

"Oh? What happens tomorrow night?" He asked smirking. He knew very well there was a Christmas party tomorrow night, but he wanted to be a _little_ difficult for her… couldn't let her think she could get to him _that_ easily.

"Hiiro! You know perfectly well what happens tomorrow night!" She mock-pouted, sticking her tongue out at him in the process. "Rei's party is tomorrow night of course!" She told him anyway, playing into his game. She didn't really mind, in fact, she rather enjoyed his idea of a joke.

"Come here." He growled in a very dark and quiet voice. He grabbed her waist and pulled her into a sitting position on his lap in the giant armchair that sat next to the fireplace in her parent's family room. Snuggling into his warm body, she rested her head against his chest and listened to his heart beating while she watched her son and brother open their gift. 

Hiiro was warm. He was content. It was a good feeling. He let Serena huddle in close to him while he watched Ben and Sam unwrap their presents. Serena's parents, his 'mother and father-in-law' sitting close to each other on the couch, his 'son' and 'brother-in-law' on the floor, his 'wife' next to him, all in all he was in a lazy and dream like state of happiness. Never had he felt so loved, so wanted and cared for. He loved this new feeling of safety and security. This is how he wished he could feel everyday. The funny thing was, when he was with Serena, he did feel this way.

"Look Momma! I got a truck!" Ben cried, running to his mother to show her his newest toy.

"Wow! Who gave that to you?" Serena asked her son, smiling widely at him. 

"Dad did!" Ben cried. 

"And what do you say to him…" Serena let her sentence trail off when she realized what Ben had said. Hiiro had given Ben a present? How could he have… she smiled to herself. Hiiro was Hiiro. He had probably gone out some night and shopped without her knowing. Go figure. Stars, she lo… no! She couldn't! It wasn't possible, she just couldn't. She shook her head, trying to rid herself of the blasphemous thoughts. But they remained…

"Thank you Dad!" Ben was thanking Hiiro.

"Hnn." Hiiro responded. Serena had gone tense in his arms and he wondered why. She had probably been surprised that he had gotten Ben a gift, but she shouldn't have been this tense. Or this warm and safe… He was losing it; there was no doubt about it. *

- Reference to Apocalypse Now- General Kurtz speaking to Captain Willard- This is a very famous movie derived from a very famous book entitled Heart of Darkness, and while I do not believe in disclaimers, this book and movie deserve every once of credit any author owns. If you've read the book or seen the movie, you'll understand. This stuff is deep folks- really deep.


	26. Have a Holly Jolly Christmas

Chapter Twenty-Five: Have a Holly, Jolly Christmas

*Ilene nudged her husband. "Don't they look sweet together?" She asked him.

"They look well enough." Kenji responded. 

"Now Ken. Look how happy they are. Please don't always act this way towards them. They fell in love; it's not something they could control. Don't you remember my father when you first met him?" Ilene asked him. She saw her husband physically gulp.

"I remember well enough. Dear, for you and Serena, I will try harder to get along with him. But that's all- try."

"That's all I ask dear." Ilene smiled lovingly at her husband. He smiled back.

"I'm going to go get those cookies for us." Serena announced as she stood from Hiiro's lap and stretched. 

"I'll help you." Hiiro announced. As they walked into the kitchen, Serena turned to face him.

"Hiiro, what were you thinking?" She lashed out quietly. He stood impassively. "I mean, Hiiro, what happens when you leave? Ben's already to attached as it is. It will be doubly hard when you leave if you leave when he adores you like he does now."

"Who said I was leaving?" Hiiro countered, forehead furrowed in thought.

"Well, you weren't planning on staying were you? They never do…" her voice dripped off into oblivion. A tear fell, followed by another, then another, and soon a whole string of pearly tears beaded down her cheeks.

"They? Am I 'they' to you? Is that what you think?" He asked her quietly.

"Well, I just…"

"Am I 'they'?" He asked again.

"No, but-"

"Then why do you think I'm going to be like them? I'm not one to leave in the middle of a job."

"So we're, I mean Ben and I, we're a job to you?" She pulled back in disgust.

"No."

"Then what are we to you? Darien and you may not be the same person, but from all the experience I've had with men, you'll end up leaving me the same as all of them did, even when they claimed they were different."

"You're not a job. You're a life."

"A life?"

"You keep breath in my lungs, beat in my heart, spring in my step. I can't help it. I need you to live. You've become a drug to my system that I need, I have a dependency on you now, and I don't think I can ever shake it."

"But I…"

"Please, just hear me out. Serena, I need to stay near you. I need to be with you. Now I'll understand if you don't want me around, but please, don't ever think I would leave you. I'm going to be around no matter what, forever, I guarantee it." Hiiro received no verbal response, only Serena throwing herself into his arms and hugging him ferociously.

"I should have known. I should have known. You are different. But I was just so afraid to find out in the end that you really weren't that I just…"

"It's fine, its done and over now."

"Thank God we got this all cleared up." She giggled through her tears. He too, smirked as he raised a hand to catch the tears and dry them from existence.

"Let's get those cookies." He told her. He picked up a plate and she followed in suit.

"It's about time. We were just about to come in and look for you!" Ilene said, laughing when Hiiro and Serena reappeared. 

"Sorry it took us so long Mom, we got a little side tracked."

"Serena! I did not need to hear that!" Sammy called out from the background.

"Spore." Serena mussed under her breath. "What I meant was we were speaking over Rei's party tomorrow. Sorry." 

"That's fine dear." Her mother told her, still smiling.

"Shall we eat?" Serena and Hiiro handed around the cookies and then sat to eat their own.

)(

"It's Christmas, it's Christmas, Christmas!" A loud voice awoke Serena early in the morning. Ben was racing up and down the hall, waking everyone up. He knew his mother's rule: he couldn't go down stairs until everyone was up and they were ready for him. Of course, this meant he had to wake everyone up. Except his Uncle Duo. Duo was helping Ben run up and down the halls, shouting and encouraging him the whole time. 

Serena's eyes fluttered open and she mentally groaned. She had known Ben would want to wake her up early, but she had only gotten four hours of sleep and she was tired. But she had to get up. So up she went. Instead of dressing, like she usually did before she left her room, she slipped on her sheer white robe and checked her hair. Quickly brushing her teeth, she then opened her door. She found two grumpy men, growling at a braided one. 

"Wufei, Trowa, leave Duo alone this morning. It is Christmas after all." She begged them all. Just then Hilde, Catherine, and Sally walked in and drug their respective guy away from each other. Quatre and Dorothy stepped out of their room next, Dorothy practically dragging Quatre down the stairs. Serena knocked on Hiiro's door. Finding it unlocked, she entered.

"Hiiro? It's time to wake up. Hiiro?" She received no answers. But then a light and steady breathing noise caught her ears. She stepped over to Hiiro's bed and found him deep asleep. He looked so angelic asleep, so peaceful. She hated waking him in such a cruel way as to shake him or hit him. An idea stuck her. She bent over and kissed his forehead. Then his cheek, and finally the corner of his mouth just ever so slightly. A firm hand reached up and pulled her head down closer to his. 

"Nice wake up call." He whispered dangerously. Shivers ran down Serena's spine.

"I tried." She giggled. He pulled her down and she lay next to him on the bed.

"Why are you up? It's not even six yet." He asked her.

"It's Christmas morning. Ben always gets me up this early. He's not allowed downstairs until I'm ready for him." She smirked.

"Are the others up?" He asked her.

"Yeah. I'm surprised you're not already up. You must have been tired."

"Hnn."

Let's go downstairs, before he walks in looking for us." She suggested, standing and pulling him up with her. 

"Fine." The two walked out into the hall, and when they saw no Ben, they carefully raced down the stairs. Quatre and a few of the women were already busy making breakfast for them all, and the presents were all placed neatly under the tree. When Hiiro had his coffee and Serena her hot cocoa, they all settled into their respective places and called Ben down. The craziness commenced. 

After nearly an hour of screaming, unwrapping, crying, hugging, thanking, and happiness, the occupants of the house slowly dwindled in energy. Ben was asleep on the couch surrounded by his newest toys. Duo, Hilde, Quatre, and Dorothy had all gone out to play in the snow. Wufei and Sally were sparring, and Trowa and Catherine had disappeared. Hiiro and Serena still sat in the same spot, coffee and hot cocoa gone, presents unwrapped, and noise non-existent. 

"This has been a wonderful Christmas." Serena said blissfully.

"I agree, the best yet." Hiiro added.

"Most definitely. " They settled back into quiet for the time being.

)( 

"Serena! Glad you could come! Hello again Hiiro, hi Ben! I'm you're Aunt Rei." Rei introduced herself to Ben.

"Hi Auntie Rei! Momma says I have lots of Aunts and Uncles here tonight." Ben chattered away, letting Rei lead him into the room. Mina dominated the little boy instantly.

The rest of the gang mingled and made friends with Serena's old friends. The party was packed, and everywhere Serena could see there were old friends and a few new faces from all over. She was having a blast getting reacquainted with everyone, especially when they asked about Ben or Hiiro.

Hiiro too, was having a good time. His passive face was the same, but his emotionless eyes were filled with mirth and happiness at the event. Being introduced to Serena's old friends was rather strange, but with the stories he had heard, it was well worth it. As a slow song came on shortly before midnight, Hiiro asked Serena if she would like to dance. How could she refuse?

As they stepped onto the dance floor, they swayed in time to the music. Serena closed her eyes and lay her head upon Hiiro's broad shoulder, while he lay his head atop hers. Lost in their own happy thoughts, they neglected to watch where they were dancing. As the song ended, they found themselves surrounded by a group of their closest friends. 

"Oh Hiiro!" Duo yelled.

"Serena, look what you're standing under!" Lita added slyly. The pair looked up to see the mistletoe directly above their heads. 

"Come on now, let's see some action!" Cried Mina from the back of the room. Ami and Rei clasped their hand over her mouth before she could do any more damage. Hiiro and Serena looked at each other.

"We don't have to do this if you don't want to." He breathed in her ear.

"You're wrong. It's tradition, we have to." She smirked. His eyes widened. 

"Merry Christmas Serry." 

"Merry Christmas Hiiro." She whispered back. Hiiro tilted her head up so his eyes met hers. Drowning in the cascading infinity of her azure blue orbs, he dropped his control and leaned into her for a tender kiss. As his lips met hers, a finality sealed their connection. They would always be together, through the end of time and space itself they would remain joined in body, spirit, and mind. 

Emotions blazed through their hearts and minds, each trying to decipher what to call the most prominent of them all. Hiiro couldn't think straight. His mind was muddled with a jumble of thoughts, all sending the same message. Serena was good. Serena was good. He loved Serena; his Serena, he loved her… 

Serena's mind too, was a mess. All rationalization was lost- and it wasn't coming back anytime soon. This wasn't like the other tiny kisses they had shared; this one was different. Now she trusted him completely, fully, and she knew she could give him her whole heart. Letting go of reality, she slipped into a trance where the only entity that had any importance at all was Hiiro. She loved Hiiro. After all her denial and circumventing, she finally let herself realize the truth: she loved Hiiro Yui. As they broke their mind-shattering kiss, they smiled at each other, breathing heavily. In the background both could hear Duo and Mina and the others egging them on.

"Serry, I…" He began, but she cut him off.

"Hiiro. Promise you'll stay by me forever?"

"Forever and beyond. I love you Serena." She looked up; stunned he had come to the same realization as she. Meeting his eyes, she saw the love and knew it was true.

"Hiiro, I, I," She wanted to tell him. And she was going to. "Hiiro, I love you too." Hiiro was on cloud nine. She had finally learned to trust him. She loved him. He let it sink in. She loved him; she really, really loved him. He pulled the petite woman into an embrace and held her. He would always hold her. Always. 

"Hiiro." She murmured. "Thank you."

"For what?" He asked her.

"For teaching me to trust again. Thank you for teaching me to trust and love again. You salvaged my pitiful life from a scrap yard and created a masterpiece of life. Thank you."

"Serry, you've done the same for me. Thank you." Content to be as they were, they continued to hold each other, knowing that the next day would hold new light and promise. *


	27. Settled Down...

Epilogue: Settled Down

*"Serena, Hiiro, Ben! And oh Serena, this must be Rini! Merry Christmas!" Ilene cried as she opened the door to reveal the family.

"Merry Christmas Mom, Daddy, hi Sammy!" Serena countered joyously as she, Hiiro and Ben walked into the house.

"Merry Christmas Mom, Dad, hey Sam." Hiiro answered lightly, smiling the whole while. He looked down into his wife's gleaming eyes. It was their fourth anniversary in two months, and he couldn't be happier. He loved his family with his whole heart, from his beautiful wife Serena to his son Ben and his newest addition Rini. 

Serena stared into the eyes of her beloved. Only four years? It seemed like an endless eternity of bliss since they had been married, and she wouldn't have it any other way.*

~~~ Alright. Before you go asking questions: no, her parents never found out they weren't married to begin with, yes, Serena and Hiiro got married (in case that wasn't clear) and… well, now you can ask questions because I can't think of anything else I might not have explained.

Like it? Hate it? Let me know! R&R or mail me @ Rix13rix@aol.com! Thanks! Vixen


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